


The Western Sky - Series 2

by angelholme



Series: The Silent Trio Saga [8]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, TV Show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-21
Updated: 2011-07-30
Packaged: 2017-10-19 16:03:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 102,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/202671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelholme/pseuds/angelholme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Western Sky return for a second series of investigation and adventures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When Tomorrow Comes, Part Two

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Harry Potter, Charmed, Buffy or Angel. I am not quite sure who does own them, but since it isn't me, or my girlfriend, I am not sure it is that important :)
> 
> xoxox
> 
> This is the second series of "The Western Sky" - a tv show set ostensibly in the world of Harry Potter, but featuring characters from Buffy, Charmed and Angel, and quite probably a lot of other shows/books/films etc.
> 
> There are 14 (planned) episodes in this series, and I hope to produce one every two weeks or so (pending real life events, creative bursts and the status of my computer!).
> 
> For those of you who are new to this, I suggest going back and reading Series 1, because I am not going to do a "Previously on TWS" (it would take too long, and the story is probably listed right above this one!).

"Of all my duties as Master Of The Wizengamot, none give me such pleasure as the reason we are gathered together today” Dumbledore surveyed the group gathered in front of him and smiled “The joining of two people together in marriage is a joyful time, and today is no exception” He took a step forward, and turned to face the couple in question “Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley have been my friends for many years, and I have watched their love grow and prosper more and more with every day that passes” He beamed as Harry and Ginny smiled back at him “And so, now, let us begin the joining”

“Do you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, take this man to be your husband?”

“I do”

“And do you, Harry James Potter, take this woman to be your wife?”

“I d.....”

“NOOOOO!”

xoxox

Sally sat bolt upright, biting back the scream that filled her mind. The first time she had dreamed of Harry and Ginny's wedding, she had woken the whole house with her scream of disbelief. Now – after two weeks of the same dream, night after night, she had learned to control her reactions.

“Bad dreams?” She looked up at the door to see Sirius staring in. At her expression, he waved his hand in dismissal “I couldn't sleep either, so I thought I'd check on you” He paused “The wedding again?”

“Yes” She nodded “Every night it's the same” She realised he was smiling at her “What?”

“You wore a pale blue dress when you married Harry. The wedding was performed by an American witch named Agatha Jones, and Hermione Weasley, Luna Lovegood and Pansy Malfoy were present” She stared at him in disbelief.

“How.....”

“I think your reality is getting stronger” He grinned “I think it's time” She gazed at him for a moment, wondering what he meant, then she smiled. He nodded “That's right, Mrs Potter - I think we are ready to get your husband back”

xoxox

  
_The Western Sky_   


  
_Staring_   


  
_Harry and Ginny Potter,  
Ron and Hermione Weasley_   


  
_with_   


  
_Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks_   


  
_and_   


  
_Rachel Weasley, Robert Weasley and Lucinda Potter_   


_Episode 1 : When Tomorrow Comes, Part Two._

Guest Staring : Amelia Bones, Tess Chaim, Amos Diggory, Albus Dumbledore, Leo Gray, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alison Smith, Danforth Taylor, Zach Duvall with _Susan Perks, Sally-Ann Perks_ and _Sally-Ann Potter_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

“Sirius thinks it's time” Sally wrote in her journal. Sirius had convinced her to keep a record of what they were doing so that when they set history right, she would be able to convince Harry and the rest of The Western Sky that she wasn't making it up “His description of my wedding was perfect, except for the names – but for the past ten years he has known Hermione as a Weasley and Pansy as a Malfoy, so I think I can forgive him for that” She paused, then continued “We have been following Ginny and Harry around for the past two weeks, watching their every movement - learning their routine so we will know when she is vulnerable so we can take her” She paused again, then grinned “And then we get to interrogate her – find out exactly when she changed the past, so we can go back and stop her”

“Sally?” Tonks' voice came from the door, and she turned to face the Director.

“Yes, Nim?”

“Sirius thinks we have an opportunity” Tonks replied “Ron, Hermione and the children are going to visit Hogwarts this morning, but Ginny isn't going with them”

“Why?”

“She and Harry are going to Diagon Alley to get a present for Lucinda – her birthday is coming up soon” Sally frowned at the tone in her voice.

“Nim?”

“Sorry. I know you are telling the truth, and that we have to put things right”

“But.....”

“But I have watched Lucy grow up. Rob and Rachel too. And when we are done, they will never have existed” She sighed.

“I know” Sally nodded “And I am sure Lucy, Rob and Rachel are adorable little children” She paused, then sighed “But then I think about Ella, Sirius and Susan. About Pandora and LJ” She looked up at Tonks “And I'm sorry, but there is no comparison” She stood up, and walked over to her “If you want to back out of this, you can – I am not going to force you”

“No” Tonks shook her head “From what you've told me, Ella, Sirius and Susan aren't the only casualties of Ginny's magic. And Amelia was my friend, before she was murdered” She smiled “I am with you till the end, Mrs Potter – you can't get rid of me that easily”

“Nor me” Sirius said from behind his cousin “Ron and Hermione have just taken the kids in to Hogwarts. Ginny and Harry are at the main gates, and should be flooing to Diagon Alley in about two minutes”

“They're not apparating?” Sally asked in surprise, then realised both Nim and Sirius were staring at her “This is something I should know, isn't it?”

“I keep forgetting you didn't grow up in this world” Tonks grinned “Despite the work of The Order, there were a lot more deaths in the last war than there were in yours. After the war ended, The Wizengamot, backed by Albus and The Golden Quartet, decided that Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and a few other areas would be warded against apparation and portkeys, and the floos monitored”

“So how.....” Sally asked.

“How are we going to get to Ginny?” Sirius continued “I am glad you asked. While the areas are warded very well against apparation and portkeys, there are some exceptions” He paused, wondering if Sally would work it out. A few moments later, she smiled.

“Don't tell me – the DDMLE and Senior Auror are on the list of exceptions” Both Tonks and Sirius grinned “Okay – how do we do this?”

“I will go to Diagon Alley” Tonks said “And wander around, on patrol”

“When Harry and Ginny arrive, you and I will apparate in to the Alley in hooded cloaks, and attack Harry......” Sirius held his hand up before Sally could speak “We won't hurt him, but we need an excuse for Nim to take Ginny away to safety. Once she does, we will apparate out”

“Do you think Ginny will willingly leave Harry when he is under attack?” Sally asked “Cause I know I wouldn't”

“I'm not going to give her a choice” Tonks smiled “And, before you ask, I am not bringing her back here. Instead we are going to a little known Black property in Wales. No one will know where she is” She paused “Once we find out what we need to know, we will stun her, and go to The Ministry”

“Okay” Sally nodded, then paused “You realise there will be no going back. That once we do this, the whole of The Ministry, The Wizengamot, The Order and Dumbledore will be out for our blood?”

“We know” Tonks replied seriously, and Sirius nodded “We know the risks, dear Mrs Potter, and we know how hard this will be. But don't worry – we know what we're doing, and this will go off like clockwork”

“Why did you have to say that?” Sirius groaned “Now we have to beat you to death with a shovel!”

xoxox

“Mr Potter, Mrs Potter – welcome” The proprietor of Flourish and Blotts gave a bow as the couple entered “What can I do for you today?”

“Hello Tess. Lucinda's birthday is coming up, and we wanted to buy her something special” Ginny said “We were hoping the new version of Hogwarts: A History has come out?”

“Ah – well” Tess smiled “Officially I have to say no – it is not due for release until Christmas. The Board Of Governors wanted to capitalise on the holiday market”

“Oh dear” Harry sighed “We were really hoping.....” He trailed off when he realised Tess was smiling “Did you say 'officially'?”

“I did” Tess grinned “However, we have a few..... publisher copies, that are available to our most important customers”

“So.....” Ginny asked expectantly.

“I will get one from the back, Mrs Potter” Tess gave a short bow, then turned and walked to the back of the store. Ginny turned back to her husband, but froze.

“Hon?”

“Do you have your wand?” She whispered. Harry nodded “Okay. On three, you go left, I'll go right”

“Okay”

“Three. Two. One” They both pulled out their wands, and span round, but a moment later, the shop exploded with spell light as the robed figures attacked. Harry and Ginny ducked behind some bookshelves.

“Stupefy!”  
“Protego!”  
“Reducto!”  
“Stupefy!”

“Mrs Potter – come with me” Tonks had crept up behind her “Aurors are on the way”

“I won't leave Harry” Ginny hissed back.

“I'm afraid you don't have a choice” Tonks pulled out a portkey, and slapped it against the young woman “HomeHomeHome!”

xoxox

Harry turned at Tonk's voice, and his eyes went wide as his wife and the DDMLE vanished. A moment later, he realised the barrage of spells had ceased as well.

“This is The Ministry of Magic – come out with your wands up” A voice yelled from outside. Harry glanced over at Tess, who had emerged from the back room, and together they walked out of the front door, to find Kingsley Shacklebolt and Dumbledore facing them “Mr Potter? What happened?”

“We were buying a present for Lucy, when we were attacked by two men in dark robes”

“Death Eaters?” Dumbledore asked.

“I don't think so” Harry shrugged “After Director Tonks had taken Ginny to safety, they vanished” He paused “And they didn't use any unforgivables during..... Albus?”

“Director Tonks was here? Nymphadora Tonks?”

“Yes” Harry's gaze drifted between Albus and Kingsley “Is that important?” Dumbledore stared at him for a moment longer, then handed him a rolled up parchment. Harry took it, then, glancing at the two men in front of him, unrolled it.

“As you can see, Director Tonks no longer works for the DMLE” Dumbledore continued “She, along with her cousin, handed her notice in this morning, citing family reasons” He paused, then frowned “I don't suppose you know where young Nymphadora took your wife?”

“No” Harry shook his head “I think she used a portkey, and the activation phrase was Home, but that could be anywhere” He turned to stare back in to the shop, then span round suddenly “Just after she kidnapped my wife, the attack stopped” He started to pace back and forth “And, come to think of it, Tonks appeared a few moments after the attack started”

“So you think the two men in robes were...... what? A diversion?” Dumbledore asked “So that the Director could kidnap your wife?”

“It's possible” Harry nodded, then turned to Kingsley “Who is in charge if Tonks has resigned?”

“For the moment, I am” The Auror replied “At least until Minister Diggory finds someone else”

“Good” Harry nodded “Because I want to find the people who took Ginny, and explain to them the depth of their folly”

xoxox

“LET ME GO!” Sally and Sirius apparated in to Sirius' home in Cardiff. Almost at once, they heard a yelling coming from the lounge.

“At least we know she's here” Sirius smirked, then paused “I guess it's a good thing we moved all the valuables to Grimmauld Place a few years ago” He winced as there was a smash “Well – almost all. But eh - I never liked that vase anyway”

“Shall we.....” Sally gestured at the door, but Sirius held his hand up “Uncle Mike?”

“There's something you need to know before we interrogate Ginny” He said “This morning, just before we attacked the bookshop, Nim and I sent a letter to Kingsley, telling him that we were resigning from the Corps” He watched her reaction “I know – it means that he will know that Tonks wasn't rescuing Ginny, and there are good odds that we are now both wanted criminals”

“But once Harry reported the attack, and told them that Tonks took Ginny, there are very good odds that you would both become fugitives anyway” Sally nodded “I understand”

“Good” Sirius gave a wry grin “So – lets get this over with”

xoxox

“I don't know what you are talking about, Tonks” Ginny snapped “I haven't changed the past – it's just the way it's always been”

“You're lying” Tonks replied “I understand why – tampering with time is a major crime, and anyone smart enough to accomplish what you have accomplished must understand the amount of trouble you are in” She paused “Are you going to talk?”

“Talk about what? Your delusions? How could I have changed history?”

“Oh – lets see” A voice came from behind them “By murdering my mother and me, and stealing my husband maybe?” Ginny turned her head, and her mouth fell open in disbelief “Ah - I see you do remember me”

“Perks?” Ginny continued to stare in disbelief “How.....”

“The how isn't important” Sally shook her head “What is important is that you are going to tell us what spell you used, when and where you went back to, and what you did”

“Or else?”

“There isn't an 'or else' Ginny” Sally continued in the same, even tone “Don't make the mistake of thinking you have a choice in this”

“Go to hell, Perks” Ginny spat at her “Harry will find me, and you will get what's coming to you” Sally stared at her for a moment, then turned to Sirius.

“Uncle Mike – will you and Tonks excuse us for a moment?”

“Are you sure?” Sirius glanced at Ginny “Will you be okay?”

“I'll be fine” Sally replied “I just want to talk to Miss Weasley in private” Sirius shrugged, then turned and, along with Tonks, walked out of the room and closed the door.

“So what do you think they are going to talk about?” Tonks asked, but before Sirius could reply, there was a gasp, then a snapping sound, then another gasp. They exchanged glances, then they heard Sally's voice calling them back in. When they re-entered the room, they found Ginny staring up at Sally with anger in her eyes, but Sirius could have sworn there was also a touch of fear.

“Miss Weasley has decided to tell us everything” Sally grinned “Isn't that nice of her?”

xoxox

“So, Uncle Mike – it's time” Half an hour later, the three of them had gathered in the kitchen “You said once we know what we have to do, you will tell us how”

“I know I did” Sirius grinned “Given that you don't want to use Ginny's method of killing a dozen innocent children, I have found only one other way to send us back to the past” He glanced at Tonks “There is a gateway between the worlds in The Ministry, and if we cast the spell correctly, we can use it to go back to when Ginny did, and stop her before she kills you”

“Gateway?” Tonks asked curiously “I don't remember any gateway......” She trailed off, then shook her head “You've got to be kidding Siri”

“No, cousin of mine, I am afraid it's the only way”

“Wonderful” Sally glanced between the two of them.

“What am I missing?” She asked.

“The gateway also has another name, and its location is.... difficult” Tonks said, giving Sirius a slight glare.

“Because?”

“The Veil of Death” Sirius replied “In the Department of Mysteries, in the basement of The Ministry” Sally stared at him, hoping he was joking. But when it became apparent he wasn't, she sighed.

“Swell”

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

Minister Amos Diggory looked up as three men strode in to his office.

“Albus?” He glanced at the other two men, then turned back to the headmaster “Is something wrong?”

“This morning, Ginny Potter was kidnapped in Diagon Alley” Dumbledore said quickly but calmly “There was an assault on Flourish and Blotts – two men in dark, hooded robes started blasting curses at the shop – and then someone, we think she was their accomplice, took Ginny with a portkey”

“Do you have any leads?” Diggory stared at them in shock “I mean – were they Death Eaters?”

“We don't think so” Kingsley shook his head, glancing at Harry “The woman who took Ginny was Tonks”

“Tonks... Director Tonks?” Diggory leapt to his feet “Could she have been rescuing her?”

“Do you think we needed rescuing?” Harry asked coolly “But to cut a long story short, no - I don't think she was trying to rescue my wife” He took a roll of parchment out of his robes, and handed it to The Minister “Tonks resigned as Director, and so did her cousin”

“You think Tonks and Black turned dark?” Diggory asked in shock “Harry – he's been a father to you since..... since forever”

“And now he has taken my wife” Harry replied, still in the same cool tone “Along with your former Director of Magical Law Enforcement, and one more, as yet unknown, assailant” He paused “Minister Diggory – we came here for two reasons. The first was to tell you what's going on - and now you know”

“And the second?”

“To tell you I am reactivating The Order of V. That, along with every Auror at your disposal, we are going to find my wife, and the people that took her, and ensure that it never happens again” He paused “Do you understand?”

“Mr Potter - I know we owe you a debt for your actions in the last war, but....”

“I would listen to him, Amos” Kingsley said softly. Diggory turned to him with a curious look, then turned back to Harry.

“Do continue, Mr Potter”

“I have nothing against you, Amos” Harry smiled “I think you are doing very well as Minister, and you are a vast improvement over your predecessor”

“But?”

“I am the Head of The House of Potter. I have the support of the Houses of Longbottom, Weasley and Dumbledore. House Malfoy is at an end, which means I control two thirds of The Seven Houses” For the first time since he had entered, he gave a grin “How hard do you think it would be for me to have you replaced?”

“This is a dangerous game your playing, Mr Potter” Diggory frowned.

“My wife is missing, Minister” Harry stared back “What would you do in my position?”

xoxox

“So – what do we do with her?” Sally gestured towards the lounge “Do we kill her?” Tonks and Sirius exchanged glances.

“We think that's up to you” Sirius said calmly “Neither of us feel qualified to judge her” Tonks nodded in agreement.

“Then we let her live” Sally replied after a few moments thought “If we do this right, then time will change back, and she will be who she was. And if we fail.....” She trailed off “You do understand that we either complete our mission, or we don't come back at all?”

“Yes boss”

“Give me five minutes, then we can go to The Ministry” She turned, and walked back in to the lounge and stood in front of Ginny “Miss Weasley – we are going now. If we get it right, then time will change around you, and you will be back to where you started” She gave a short laugh “Even after all you've done, I am going to be merciful, and not let you remember the events of this reality. You will only know your spell failed, and that you are not married to my husband”

“Harry will stop you” Ginny replied “He will hunt you down, and kill you for this” She stared up at her captor, but was surprised when Sally merely grinned.

“It's a possibility” She agreed “But quite honestly I would rather die than continue to live without my husband and children” She shrugged “I have nothing to lose, Miss Weasley, and if your Sirius is anything like mine, you will know what that means” She paused, then pulled out a gag “I'm sorry, but I can't risk you letting anyone know, so.....” She slipped the gag over Ginny's head, and secured it in her mouth “Be seeing you, Miss Weasley” Sally turned, and walked out of the room, not noticing the glint in her prisoner's eye.

xoxox

“So – how do we do this?” Sally, Tonks and Sirius were stood in an alley near The Ministry “I mean – we aren't just going to walk in an announce ourselves, are we?”

“Actually – we are” Tonks grinned.

“You and Sirius are wanted for kidnapping and terrorism, and I am dead” Sally stared at her “You don't think someone is going to notice if we turn up at the front desk?”

“Of course someone would notice” Sirius smirked “However if Mary Smith, Kate Tyler and Ashley Joshson walk up and announce themselves, I don't think anyone will bat an eyelid” He pulled out his wand and cast three quick spells, disillusioning them to look like three other people “We are part of the Village Green Preservation Society, wanting to set up a meeting with Under-secretary Gray to discuss protection of national wizarding treasures” Sally stared at him “Yeah - I know. But if it gets us past the guard, and in to Grand Entrance, does it matter?”

“I guess not” She shrugged “What happens after we get in?”

“Head for Mysteries. Barricade ourselves in. Cast the spell” Sirius replied “You get the idea”

“Okay then” Sally nodded “Lets go”

xoxox

“Welcome to The Ministry” The security guard looked up at the trio in front of him “Who are you here to see?”

“We don't have an appointment, but we want to see Mr Gray” Sirius, disguised as Ashley Johnson, smiled “We have some concerns about the way our town of Little Chancery is being treated”

“Very well” He held out a parchment “Proceed down the main corridor, then take the lift to floor six. Second office on the left” He paused “I have to weigh your wands though”

“Of course” Sirius handed his wand over, watched as it was weighed, then took it back. Sally and Tonks followed suit. When the guard had finished, he nodded, and the three of them walked down the main corridor.

xoxox

“So where do we start?” Harry, Kingsley and Dumbledore were sat around a table at Hogwarts.

“They aren't at Grimmauld Place” Dumbledore replied “The wards I put in there haven't shown a single thing since the attack. So there are good odds they have gone to one of the other Black properties”

“I have got some of the Aurors checking records, but the Black family have properties going back centuries, quite a lot of them unplottable” Kingsley shrugged “We are doing our best, but it might take some time”

“Okay” Harry nodded “Keep them on it, but I can't wait that long” He pulled out another parchment “Minnie's been working on a powerful location spell. It will show us where Ginny is, and we can go and get her” He glanced at Dumbledore “I assume we can get some ward-breakers if we need to storm the building?”

“Of course”

“Good. Then I will arrange to start in half an hour” He paused “Kingsley – can we take the whole squad?”

“You think that's necessary?” The Auror asked.

“We don't know why they took her. We don't know who is involved, or how many. We don't know what wards there are round the house or the area. I am planning on taking every Auror we can, along with the whole of The Order and anyone else we can find”

“That's a lot of effort to go to” They turned to see Ginny stood at the door “I must mean a lot to you” There was a moment of silence, then Harry shot out of his seat, and wrapped his arms around her. For a few moments, they simply hugged, then Harry leaned back.

“It's good to see you, Mrs Potter” Dumbledore stood up “Are you well?”

“As well as I can be, Albus” Ginny smiled “I take it you know what happened?”

“We know about Tonks and Black” Harry nodded “Did you find out who the third person was?”

“She never said, and I didn't recognise her” Ginny shook her head “But there's something else – while they were holding me, I heard them talking” She paused “They are planning an attack on The Ministry. Something about a veil in The Department of Mysteries?”

“The Execution Veil?” Dumbledore asked in surprise “Why would they be going there?”

“I don't know” She replied “They didn't say why, but I am pretty sure that is where they are going”

“Okay then” Kinsgley stood up “I will alert the department, and ensure the area is protected” He started out of the door, then stopped and turned “Any idea if they are in disguise?”

“Sorry” Ginny shook her head “I didn't see them before they left”

“No matter” Kingsley replied with a slight smile “We will find them”

“I hope so” Ginny sighed as he left the room “I really do hope so”

xoxox

“This place still gives me the creeps” Sally whispered “I keep expecting to hear voices....” She glanced at the thousands of glowing white orbs surrounding them.

“I haven't met anyone who can stay here for more than half an hour” Tonks replied, her voice hushed “That's why the hall was put under the purview of the Unspeakables” She paused, then turned back to Sally “When were you in here?”

“About ten years ago” Sally frowned faintly at the memory “We had to rescue Arthur Weasley after he was bitten by a giant snake. And we found a prophecy....”

“About Harry and Voldemort” Sirius finished “Albus shared it with us after the Tournament – after Voldemort returned” He paused “I take it he didn't inform you?”

“No” Sally said in a flat tone “But we weren't on the best terms, and it was a long time ago”

“A different lifetime?” Tonks asked with a smile, and Sally grinned back “We just have a few more rows to go, then we'll be in The Chamber”

“I'm afraid we can't let you do that” Dumbledore's voice came from behind them “Please – hand over your wands, and come with us”

“We can't do that” Sirius and Tonks moved in front of Sally and raised their wands “But if you turn around, and walk away, we promise we won't hurt you”

“We know you are going to The Veil, Mr Black, and we can't let that happen. So either you give up now, or we will be forced to stop you by any means necessary”

“If that's how it's got to be....” Tonks replied, but stopped when Sally touched her arm “Summer?”

“Wait for my sign” She said quietly, then turned to face the other group “Headmaster – we meet again”

“Mrs Blythe” Dumbledore inclined his head “I admit I had my suspicions about the third person in your little trio” He glanced at Sirius and Tonks, still holding their wands, then back at Sally “I take it this is your doing?”

“I have my reasons, Headmaster” She smiled “And no, they are not under the imperius, nor any other type of compulsion spell”

“I admit, I was curious why two decorated members of the Auror Corps would be involved in a plot like this, but thank you for putting my mind at ease” He paused “I don't suppose you would care to explain what your intentions are?”

“I think you know, Headmaster” Sally's smile faded “We are going to The Execution Chamber – to The Veil. And if you want to stop us, you are going to have to kill us, because there is no other power in the 'verse that will keep us from doing what we have to do” She took a step back, and raised her wand “So what's it going to be?”

xoxox

Ginny watched the interplay between Dumbledore and Perks with a barely concealed smirk. She knew Albus would never believe Perks, and that in a few moments, Perks would either be dead, or in custody.

“Which” She thought "Is as good as dead once I get through with her”

“Mrs Blythe – do you understand what you are saying?”

“More than you can possibly imagine” Sally smiled “Have you made your decision?”

“We can't let you go” Dumbledore raised his wand, as did Kingsley, Ginny and Harry. Sally stared at them contemplatively for a moment, then shrugged.

“So be it” She span round, holding up her wand “REUDCTO!”

Ginny's eyes went wide as the three of them opened fire...... on the prophecies.

xoxox

“Start the spell” Tonks said. After the fire-storm they had started in The Hall Of Prophecies, she had lead Sally and Sirius in to The Chamber, casting several dozen security spells behind her.

“Can we help with the defence?” Sirius asked.

“Once the spell is complete” Tonks replied, glancing at the door “You know we need to get it started”

“Okay” Sirius turned back to Sally “Lets go”

xoxox

“What's the hold up?” Harry yelled “I thought you said five minutes?”

“Tonks is the Director of The DMLE. Black was considered for the Unspeakables” Kingsley snapped back “We are doing the best we can!”

“Oh get out of my way!” Ginny walked up to the shield “KARASHAKLA!” A beam of bright white light burst out of her wand and crashed in to the rippling wall of energy. For a moment, nothing happened, then suddenly the shield vanished. Ginny turned back to the rest of the group “Shall we go?”

xoxox

“The spell's complete” Sirius said “You can go through at any time” Sally stared up at the veil, then turned back.

“Thank you” She leaned over and kissed his cheek “If this works.....” She trailed off as the door above them burst open, and Ginny stormed in to The Chamber.

“Go” Sirius pushed her up the stairs, then drew his wand and turned to face the group that had followed Ginny in. Sally ran up to the veil, then turned back. Tonks and Sirius were flinging curses up to the entrance, while Ginny and her group were slowly moving forwards.

“Go!” She heard Tonks yell, then her mouth fell open as Dumbledore sent a killing curse flying down in to the central well. Sirius jumped to one side, then returned the favour, sending Dumbledore crashing to the ground.

“GO!” Sirius screamed as more killing curses rained down on him and Tonks. Sally pulled out her wand, and cast a silent spell on him, then she turned, and walked in to the veil.

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

A moment later, she stepped back out of the veil, and found herself facing an empty room.

“I guess it worked” She said to herself, then pulled out her wand “Tempus” The time and date flashed up in front of her “So, I am when I should be. Now all I need to do is get myself to where I need to be” She closed her eyes, and projected herself out of The Execution Chamber.

xoxox

Ginny Weasley stepped out of the portal and looked around. She could see a small village on the horizon, but the woods around her had hidden her arrival. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

“But” She thought “Am I when I wanted to be?” She pulled out her wand, and whispered “Tempus”. A moment later, tiny white letters appeared above her, showing the date and time. She smiled.

“One month should be more than enough to do what I came here to do” She said to herself, then turned, and walked towards the village, not noticing the shadow that slipped out of the forest after her.

xoxox

As Ginny walked down the street she heard a voice behind her. She stopped, turned, then her mouth fell open in surprise as she saw the woman stood in front of her.

"You!"

"Hey Gin" Sally smiled "Miss me?"

"You can't be here!" Ginny pulled out her wand "No one knows what I am doing" As she stared in disbelief , Sally pulled the chain from around her neck.

"Recognise this?" She waved the time turner back and forth "My guess is you cast your spell just as I activated this" She shrugged "Your spell worked - it just didn't affect me"

"You were out of time" Ginny said in a resigned tone.

"Which is kind of funny" Sally grinned "Because now the same can be said of you" She pulled out her wand "The only question is will you come quietly?"

xoxox

Susan Perks gazed out of her window, looking up and down the street, then suddenly a flash of light caught her attention. She stared for a moment, then turned and walked over to the fireplace.

“Ministry of Magic” She called out, throwing a handful of floo powder in to the flames. A moment later, a head appeared.

“Ministry of Magic – how may I help you?”

“There is a fight going on at the end of my street” She paused “From the looks of it, they are using some pretty violent curses – maybe unforgivables”

“Very well – we will send some Aurors out at once. Until they arrive, may I suggest you lock down your house, and inform your neighbours”

“Of course. Thank you” Susan closed the floo, then called out to her daughter. Sally bounded down the stairs a few minutes later, but skidded to a halt when she saw the look on her mother's face.

“Mum?”

“I have to lock the house down. It shouldn't be for too long – the Aurors are coming”

“Yes mother” Sally replied seriously “What's wrong?”

“Oh – it's probably just kids” Susan shrugged “But I thought we'd better be safe than sorry”

“Okay” Sally smiled, then turned and went back upstairs. Susan watched her go, then turned back to the fire, and began the process of shielding the house.

xoxox

“Looks like you failed, Weasley” Sally grinned as she glanced down the street “Mum's locked the house down, and....” She trailed off as there were two apparation pops a few yards down the street “And I think the Aurors have arrived” When Ginny glanced towards the approaching figures, Sally cast a silent spell at her, then vanished.

xoxox

“What did you find out?” Susan asked the Aurors. Five minutes before, she had brought the shields down, after the Aurors had given her the all clear.

“Who ever it was left before we arrived” The first Auror said “We couldn't find either of them” He shrugged “We'll keep a patrol round here for the next day or so, but honestly - I wouldn't worry about it. It was probably just kids, or a minor disagreement that got out of hand”

“Okay” Susan nodded “Thank you for coming out”

“No problem” The second Auror, a young woman, smiled “Better safe than sorry, Mrs Perks” The two Aurors nodded, then vanished in twin pops of apparation. Susan smiled, then closed the door.

xoxox

“I can't teach myself until I get rid of her” Ginny was pacing back and forth “I can't take the risk of letting her know the rest of the plan” She shook her head “But if she is watching over herself, then I can find her there” She stopped pacing, then smiled “And this time, I will be ready for her”

xoxox

“Madam Bones – you wanted to see me?” Auror Smith walked in to the office of the Director, and sat down opposite her boss.

“I was just wondering what happened this morning” Amelia looked at the report “Two people fighting in a muggle town, and you didn't see either of them?”

“Sorry boss” Smith shook her head “They both escaped before we could get near them. But honestly - I think it might just have been a quarrel that got out of control. They didn't seem to be Death Eaters or criminals” She paused “We have kept a patrol in the area, but I think the danger is past”

“Okay” Amelia nodded “You can leave now” She watched Smith walk out of the door, then glanced back at the report and shrugged “It's probably nothing – just kids, like she said”

xoxox

Sally glanced down at her parchment, then smiled. She had been watching her old house for nearly two days, but her tracking spell had shown that Ginny was no where near either her, or the Ginny of the past.

But now, it seemed, The Wacky Slytherin on the move. And apparently heading down the high street in Ottery St Catchpole.

“She's going home” Sally grinned “And I will be there to meet her”

xoxox

“Going somewhere?” Ginny cursed under her breath, then turned to face Sally.

“You are really starting to annoy me, Perks” She said, drawing her wand “Why can't you just accept that this is your future now?”

“Because I don't believe it is” Sally replied, also drawing her wand “I already stopped you killing my mother and me, Ginevra, and I can stop you again”

“For how long?” Ginny smirked “Are you willing to spend the rest of your life here, in the past? Give up your future?”

“I would like to say I am” Sally stared back at her “But the truth is, I want this over. I want to get back to my husband – my children” She darted forward, and grabbed Ginny “Home!Home!HOME!”

xoxox

"Give it up!" Sally yelled, then ducked behind a pillar as another spell flew over her head "You can't beat me!" After she had dragged Ginny back to The Execution Chamber, Ginny had broken free, and started attacking her.

"But I did, didn't I?" Ginny yelled back "I got my Harry, and took care of you, once and for all"

"When I was a child!" Sally exclaimed "The only way you could beat me was to murder an innocent child - thirteen innocent children!"

"And if you kill me now, those children will be dead again" Ginny snarled back "Are you willing to have their blood on your hands, Perks?"

"My hands are clean, Ginevra" Sally called out, then, aiming her wand at the wall behind her foe, she added "And who said I was going to kill you?" She paused for a moment, then yelled "STUPEFY DERILAXUS" The bolt of red light shot from her wand, then bounced off the facing wall and crashed in to Ginny, knocking her unconscious. Sally waited for a moment, then stood up and walked over to where the red-head lay on the floor.

"Maybe it's my fault" She said to herself "If we'd dealt with you when Harry wanted to - after you cursed me - maybe we wouldn't have come to this" She stared down for a few moments, then shrugged "Then again, maybe you're just a heinous bitch who deserves everything she gets"

She closed her eyes, and started to chant an incantation in Latin. As she chanted, a circle of light appeared surrounding the prone girl.

"El animus transmutam revelus!" Sally finished with a flourish of her wand, and the circle of light flared a bright white.

When it faded, she looked down to see the result of her spell, and burst out laughing as a memory of Christmas past crashed in to her mind.

 _(flash back)_

"She's adorable" Sally said, as Hermione petted the black kitten that was nestling in her arms "And far cute than..... is that a baby tiger?" They both stared at a large ginger cat that had pounced on Harry.

"Oh my!" Hermione grinned as Harry fought a losing battle with the giant ball of fur. A moment later, both she and Sally smothered a giggle as he fell over backwards. Sally gave a half-hearted glare at her friend, then rushed over to help her boyfriend.

When she reached Harry, she tried to pull the cat off him, but stopped when the cat turned and hissed at her, raising it's claws.

"Woah" She pulled her hands back "Good kitty!"

 _(end flash back)_

"At least that explains why the cat hated me so much" She thought as she stared down at the ginger creature in front of her. She closed her eyes, then opened her mind to the big ball of fluff.

A minute later, she opened her eyes again, allowed herself a brief smile, then vanished.

xoxox

"Hello Ginevra. You are probably wondering why I let you live. Well - I'd like to claim it is because I am noble and good, but the truth is it would have been a mercy to kill you, and I am all out of mercy" The image of Sally paused, then grinned "The fact you came after me is neither here nor there - I am a big girl, and I don't take things like that personally. But you came after my friends. After my husband" She paused again, then glared "You came after my children. And that is something I can neither forgive, nor forget. And so I designed a suitable punishment - one that will allow you to consider the depth of your mistake, and the breadth of your folly" She gave another grin "Look to your left"

Ginny frowned, then turned her head.

"I have bound you in to this form for the rest of your natural life. You will live out the next hundred years as a ginger cat - observing the future, but not able to change it. You will watch as Harry and I grow up, meet, fall in love and return the future to the way it should be - and there is nothing you will be able to do about it"

Ginny stood up, and paced around a little.

"I know what you are thinking - that being the cunning and devious little bitch you are, you will find a way to break the spell, and then make my life a living hell. Well - my dear Ginevra - if by some chance you can break the binding spell, then you will die the moment you transform. So either you live as a cat, or die as yourself" She paused, then grinned "Enjoy your future, Mrs Potter. I know I will"

xoxox

After leaving the bound form of Ginny behind, Sally appeared in the forest, next to the portal the red-headed woman had originally come through.

"So long Ginny - I will see you in twenty years" She said with a smile, then, pulling out her wand, dispelled the portal. For a moment, it glowed bright white, then dwindled to nothing. She smiled again, then projected herself back to the Death Chamber, in front of The Veil. She looked around, then walked in to the curtained darkness.

An instant later, she found herself back in the Death Chamber, facing a very confused Sirius.

xoxox

"You cast a temporal shield over me?" Sirius stared at her in disbelief.

"Yes" She grinned back at him.

"So when you foiled Miss Weasley's evil scheme, I was protected from history as it restored itself?"

"Yup" Sally was still grinning.

"You're crazy, you know that?" For the first time, he smiled back.

"I do know that" She nodded "So - you want to go home?"

xoxox

Half an hour later they were stood in front of The Potter House. Sally turned to Sirius and smiled.

"Ready?"

"Yes" He nodded "I think I am"

 _(the screen fades to black, then a number of short film clips appear)_

Dumbledore is running through the halls of Hogwarts. A moment later, a beam of green light crashes in to the wall behind him.

Harry is reading a newspaper with the headline “WESTERN SKY SUSPECTED OF MURDER!”

A demon with glowing red eyes kills Andy.

Harry, Sally, Hermione, Viktor, Andy, Prue, Sirius and Luna are stood on the Hogwarts' battlements, all armed with shotguns and rifles.

Tara is staring up the main street of Hogsmeade, where Xander and Dawn are walking towards her, hand in hand.

A coffin is carried past Hermione and Viktor, who are dressed in black.

Harry is sat in front of the Headmaster's desk in Hogwarts.

Elwyn Moran sitting between Pansy and Andrew, tears on her face.

The Great Hall at Hogwarts is filled with spell fire of every colour.

Harry walks through Gingotts, and comes face to face with a young woman with messy black hair and bright green eyes.

Prue, disguised as Mabel, faces Piper and Leo.

Tara is shot, and blood spreads all over her blue jumper.

Vampires attacking Harry, Sally, Sirius and Remus. A moment later, Buffy and Giles join in the fight.

Ginny's cat form is engulfed in a ball of green light.

 _(the screen fades to black, then the following images flash up, one by one)_

Draco Malfoy casting a killing curse.

Harry with a huge smile on his face.

Vast numbers of infiri walking down the road from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts.

Hermione in a hospital bed, holding a baby.

 _(the screen goes dark, then the words)_

 **The Western Sky – Series 2**

 _(and then there is one final image)_

Harry, Sally and Hermione facing Draco Malfoy. All four have their wands drawn.

 _(The screen fades to black)_


	2. Silent Night

"Harry?" Sally pushed the door to The Potter House open "You here?"

"Oh my god!" Sally turned to Sirius as they heard footsteps pounding from upstairs.

"I think he's a little erk!" She stopped as Harry flung himself on to her.

"I thought you were dead!" Harry hugged her "You've been gone two weeks!"

"It's okay honey - I just had a slight detour" She stroked his hair "I'm fine sweetie - there's nothing wrong" Harry leaned back, staring at her.

"You sure?"

"Yes love - I am better than ever" She grinned "Better than you could imagine"

"Okay then" Harry took a step back, then glanced at Sirius "Hey Uncle Mike" He looked back at Sally, then stopped. As Sally and Sirius watched, Harry's head turned back to face his Uncle "Sirius?" Sirius nodded sheepishly.

"Hey Harry. How's it going?"

 **THUMP**

Sally stared at down the prone form of her husband.

"That went well"

xoxox

_The Western Sky_

_Staring_

_Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

_with_

_Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

_and_

_Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

_Episode 2 : Silent Night_

Guest Staring : Mark Brown, Armando Dippit, Albus Dumbledore, Arnold Granger, Claire Granger, Adam Jenkins, Derek Knoxan, Eric Lovegood, Remus Lupin, Susan Lupin and Paul Robertson with Draco Malfoy and Robert Sirius Krum

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

Paul walked along the corridor towards the Dumbledore's office. When he had been summoned half an hour before, he had wondered what the Headmaster wanted to see him about, but Albus had been very cagey, and simply said it was a matter of some importance.

“Chunky Monkey” He stared up at the gargoyle, and watched it move aside “Thank you” He followed the spiral staircase up, and knocked on the door to the Headmaster's office.

“Come” Paul pushed the door open, and walked in “Professor Robertson – thank you for coming”

“It's not a problem, Headmaster” He sat down in front of the desk “How may I be of assistance to you this morning?”

“There is something we have to talk about, Paul” Dumbledore gazed at him “You've been hiding something from me – something important”

“Sir?” Paul looked at him confusedly. Dumbledore returned his gaze levelly, then picked up a file from his desk.

“For the past eight months, I have been investigating various events. The attempted murder of Minister Bones, and the subsequent death of the assassin” He paused, and turned a page in the file “The founders of The Drawn Wands” He turned another page “The kidnapping of Sirius and Susan Potter” He placed the file back on the desk “From what I have found, it seems there is a single group responsible for all of these” He stared up at Paul again “But you knew that already, didn't you?”

“I'm sorry?” Paul frowned. Dumbledore continued to gaze at him, then lifted the file up and handed it over to him. Paul took it, and started reading.

“As you can see, the evidence is compelling” Dumbledore said quietly. Paul finished reading, then put the file down.

“So – now you know” He frowned “But you haven't turned the evidence over to the Director, otherwise I suspect this conversation would be taking place in her office, not yours”

“I wanted to give you a chance, Paul” Dumbledore smiled “A chance to do what's right – a chance to make up for what you've done”

“Let me guess” Paul returned the smile “I turn in the leaders of the group, in return for which I get some kind of immunity”

“That would be the general idea” Dumbledore nodded.

“So – how would it work?” Paul asked, but before the Headmaster could reply, Paul continued “I would give you the information, and you would turn it over to Director Tonks and The Ministry”

“I believe they would be less suspicious if it came from me, rather than from another source” The Headmaster nodded.

“But you would keep the parts that implicate me to yourself” Paul continued as is Dumbledore hadn't spoken “Which means that I would be in your debt” He stared at The Headmaster, who didn't respond “And if at some later point, you chose to call in that debt, I wouldn't have much choice but to help you”

“It disappoints me that you would phrase it that way, Paul”

“Then how would you phrase it?”

“That, using this as a starting point, we can form a better understanding that would help us to work together better in the future”

“And you wouldn't use the phrase 'blackmail' at all?” Paul stared at him “Because I am curious what will happen if don't want to be a part of this glorious future? Would The DMLE suddenly get some extra evidence? Would I find the Aurors knocking on my door one night?”

“I am truly saddened that you have so little faith in me, Professor” He glanced at the file “So – what is your answer?”

“Do I let you turn me over to The Ministry, or spend the rest of my life being your indebted servant?” Paul gave a wry smile “I will think about it, and give you my answer tonight” He stood up, and walked over and opened the door, but stopped when Dumbledore spoke.

“Don't take too long, Professor Robertson. Despite my nature, my patience is not infinite”

“I will keep that in mind, Professor”

xoxox

Remus and Susan pushed the door to The Potter House open, and walked in.

“Hello?” Remus called out.

“We're through here” Claire called back.

“Claire's here?” Susan asked, then she followed her husband in to the lounge “And so is everyone else, it seems”

“Was there an Order meeting we weren't told about?” Remus asked, looking around.

“We got the same message you did” Eric replied “That Harry and Sally wanted to see us as soon as possible”

“Is this about where she's been for the past two weeks?” Remus asked.

“Yes” Everyone turned as Harry and Sally walked in to the room “I have a story to tell you, and once I am done I will answer all your questions” She glanced at her husband “But first, there is something else we have to tell you – something that you are not going to believe”

“You are pregnant?” Susan asked. Sally turned and stared at her mother.

“What makes you say that?”

“Nothing” Susan shrugged “It was just the first thing that popped in to my had that we wouldn't believe”

“Well – I'm not pregnant” Sally shook her head “The short story is I got caught up in a time spell, got stuck in a parallel universe, then set time and history right” She paused for breath, and realised everyone was staring at her “But when I came back to this universe, I brought someone with me – someone you all know very well, even if he doesn't know most of us” She glanced at Harry, who nodded “You might all want to sit down” She watched as Harry opened the door, then turned back as Sirius walked in “You remember Uncle Mike, don't you?”

xoxox

“We need to meet. Now”

“Yes, my Lord. We will be there”

xoxox

“Wow” Susan stared at Sally and Sirius.

“You keep saying that” Sirius smiled, then glanced at his niece “Is it really that surprising?”

“I suppose it depends on your point of view” Sally replied with a smirk, then turned back to her mother “Mum - I know this is a shock, but at some point you have to move past 'Wow' and on to more coherent speech”

“Very funny” Susan glared at her daughter “But how are you being so calm about this?”

“For the past two weeks, I have done nothing but live this, mum” Sally replied calmly “After spending fourteen days watching my husband make out with The Wacky Slytherin, it was either learn to be calm, or blow my top and kill every one around me” She shrugged “I took the first”

“Good plan” Prue grinned “So why a cat?”

“It wasn't deliberate” Sally shrugged again “If Ginny had ever learned to be an animagus, that's what her form would have been” She glanced at Harry “At least you know why it was so interested in you during our third year”

“I was curious” Harry smiled back, then turned to Sirius “So – Sally filled you in on the.... I want to say the real past, but you know what I mean”

“She gave me a brief outline” Sirius replied with a slight smile “I know that Harry and Sally are married, that Susan was Harry's guardian after Snape killed me, and that Hermione is The Head of House Black.....” He trailed off and looked around “Come to think of it – where is Minnie?”

“I don't know” Harry glanced at his wife “We did summon her, but she didn't get back to us” He pulled the flute from his pocket and tapped it “Miranda” They watched it for a few seconds, then suddenly a scroll appeared above it. Harry read it, then grinned “Okay – we'll be there soon” He tapped the flute again, then put it away.

“So – where is she?” Claire asked “Where is my daughter?”

“She's at St Catherine's” Harry gave Hermione's parents a big grin “She went in to labour about half an hour ago”

xoxox

As Draco swept in to the room, the three wizards who were present all went down on one knee.

“You summoned us, my Lord?” The middle of the three looked up.

“Yes” Draco glanced around “Rise, and be seated” He waited until the three of them had sat down, then he turned to face them “Dumbledore knows about us”

“How?”

“I don't know. But he knows about Minister Bones, about our assassin, and about the Potter twins” Draco shrugged “I don't know if he knows everything, but he knows enough to connect me to it”

“So what do you wish us to do?”

“For the moment, nothing” Draco announced “The old fool has offered me a deal. That if I turn in the leaders – or those I hand over to him as the leaders – he will not turn me in to The Ministry”

“But?”

“Since he protected me, I would more or less become his property” Draco frowned “He did it with Snape at the end of the First War, and Severus loathed him for it” He looked up at the three wizards sat in front of him “I am not going to let that happen to me”

“So what do you plan to do?”

“I am going to return to Hogwarts, and meet Dumbledore tonight as promised” Draco replied, then continued “If you don't hear from me before tomorrow morning, tell the rest of the group to scatter. If things don't go well, Dumbledore will be coming after all of you, and trust me – you don't want to be there when he does” He stood up, then swept out of the room. The three wizards watched him go, then turned to face each other.

“Should we inform the Senior Partners?” The first asked “If we are going to lose our figurehead, shouldn't we take some action?”

“What can we do, Adam?” The second replied “We can't attack Dumbledore – Hogwarts is too well guarded – and we are no where near ready to take on The DMLE or The Ministry, even with our friends inside The Wizengamot”

“But if we do nothing, Mark, and They find out.....” The first trailed off, then turned to the third in the group “You have been very quiet, Derek. Don't you have an opinion?”

“We wait” Was his reply “If Draco gets in touch with us tomorrow, then all is well and The Senior Partners need not bother themselves with it”

“And if he doesn't?”

“Then we will do what we were sent here to do” The third wizard replied calmly “By any means necessary”

xoxox

“How may I help you?” The nurse looked up, and her eyes widened at the size of the group.

“My daughter was brought in half an hour or so ago” Claire replied “Hermione Krum-Black”

“Of course” The nurse stood up, and glanced at the rest “Are you all together?”

“They are all family” Arnold said, before anyone else could respond “You can tell them anything”

“Very well” The nurse nodded, then glanced down at the notes in front of her “Professor Krum is in delivery room seven, with her husband” She paused “If you'd like to take a seat, I am sure someone will be out in a little while”

“Thank you” Claire nodded, then turned round to face the others “Better get comfortable – this might take a while”

xoxox

“Why did Hermione come here?” Andy sat down next to Harry. They had been waiting nearly half an hour, and so far hadn't been told anything. Under Harry's guidance, they were keeping Claire and Arnold busy, as Hermione's parents showed every sign of storming in to the delivery rooms and taking hostages.

“Pardon me?” Harry had been watching Sirius talking to Remus. He was still having trouble getting his mind round the fact his uncle was back from the dead.

“I mean – Hogwarts has a more than adequate infirmary, and from what you have told me, Madam Pomfrey is the best healer in town. And beyond that is St Mungos – the best magical hospital in the world, if the pamphlets are to be believed”

“So why pick a mortal hospital?” Harry asked. When Andy nodded, Harry continued “Three reasons. Firstly – she doesn't want to give birth at Hogwarts because, while she likes Dumbledore more than she did in our past, she doesn't trust him, and wants to keep her family away from him as much as possible” He paused “A feeling which was amplified when he didn't stand up to The Board over the subject of her dismissal”

“Makes sense”

“Secondly – she is a pretty famous woman. Even discounting her recent actions – fighting The Wizengamot, her part in The Siege – her activities as a member of The Order of V are almost legendary”

“And she thinks that neither Hogwarts nor St Mungo's will provide her much privacy?” Andy asked.

“But a hospital where no-one knows who she is is a perfect cover” Harry smiled.

“And the third?”

“The third reason is....” He trailed off as the doors at the far end of the room opened. A moment later, everyone else fell silent as a doctor came in. She glanced around, then walked over to where Claire and Arnold were stood. As everyone watched, the three of them exchanged a few words, then the doctor stood up and walked back to the delivery suite, leaving Claire staring after her.

“Aunt Claire?” Prue tapped her on the shoulder “What's wrong?”

“It's Hermione” Claire took a deep breath “There are problems with the birth, and.... and she isn't doing well”

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

“Is there anything we can do?” Luna and Tara sat near the back of the waiting room, talking quietly.

“I don't know” Tara shrugged “There are various healing spells, and spells to assist in child-birth, but I can't try any of those without knowing exactly what's going on” She glanced around “Could we sneak in to the suite?”

“It's possible” A quiet voice came from behind them “But Minnie has enough problems at the moment, without you violating the secrecy statutes” They both turned to see Amelia sitting down next to them.

“Sorry, Minister” Luna gave a slight nod “But we are very worried about our friends”

“I understand” Amelia replied “I'm worried too” She glanced around “Harry and Sally?”

“Minnie asked for them – they went in about ten minutes ago” Tara said lightly, but The Minister turned and looked at her questioningly. Tara gave a short laugh “I guess I am more worried than I let on. Harry and Sally are her oldest friends, and if she wants them there.....”

“You think she is saying goodbye?” Amelia asked quietly, and Tara nodded “Hermione's stronger than that – and do you really think Harry and Sally will let her go without a fight?” She grinned when Tara smiled “Good” She glanced around, then looked at Remus and Sirius “Who's that with Mr Lupin?”

xoxox

“Headmaster” Tonks rose to her feet as Dumbledore walked in to her office “I wasn't expecting to see you today - I would have thought you would be preparing to celebrate Christmas”

“And normally, young Nymphadora, I would be. Indeed – Hagrid and Minerva are setting things up as we speak” He paused “However, sometimes we have to put our own pleasures and desires to one side for the greater good” He sighed “May I have a seat?”

“Of course” Tonks gestured to the seat opposite her desk, then, after Dumbledore had sat down, took her own seat again “So how may I be of assistance to Hogwarts this Christmas Eve?”

“Actually, I believe that I can be of assistance to you” He smiled “As you know, I have a number of friends in the... well shall we say the seedier side of the magical community”

“As do I” Tonks replied “And, although I can't prove it, I suspect Minister Bones does as well” She shrugged “It is a matter of expedience – you let the smaller fish go in order to catch the bigger ones....” She trailed off “Sorry - I seem to have gone off on a tangent. You were saying you could help The Ministry?”

“Yes” Dumbledore smiled “About a week ago, I was contacted by one of my sources, who gave me some information about the attempted assassination of Minister Bones” He grinned as Tonks suddenly sat up straight “Apparently it was part of a larger plot, and Miss Tyler was killed to stop her talking”

“We knew that, Headmaster” Tonks replied with a nod.

“Of course” Dumbledore returned the nod “But my contact says she has information on the rest of the group, including the names of the leaders and the overall commander”

“Do you have it with you?” Tonks stood up “I can take it through to the department.....” She trailed off as the Headmaster shook his head, and sat down again.

“I apologise for misleading you Director - I don't have the information yet. My contact thought she was being followed, and is going to get in touch with me tonight” He shrugged “I don't know if she was being paranoid or not, but given the history of this group, I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt”

“Of course” Tonks nodded slowly “Well - I will put the department on alert, but I won't tell them why. Once you get in touch, I will organise the raids and arrests as soon as possible”

“Excellent” Dumbledore clapped his hands, then stood up “Then I will return to my school, and no doubt will be in touch with you in due course” He turned, then stopped and turned back “I thought Amelia was going to join us”

“She had to go out” Tonks replied “Something unexpected came up”

“Anything I can be of assistance with?”

“Probably not, no” Tonks shook her head, then glanced down at her desk. There was a bright red glow from the crystal Andy had given her a few months before “And if you will excuse me, Headmaster, I have to be going as well” Dumbledore stared at her, but when she didn't elaborate, he shrugged.

“Very well - I will no doubt speak to you later”

xoxox

“That's Rick Wayne” Luna smiled “We met him while we were living in America, and he came over for a visit about two weeks ago” She glanced at Tara “He's pretty good friends with Hermione, so he asked if he could come with us” She turned to watch Sirius and Remus talking “Would you like to meet him?”

“No – that's okay” Amelia grinned “It's just I am used to your group being so insular – you are generally seen together, and rarely in the company of others, unless you have to be” She followed Luna's gaze “You have to admit – it's rare to see a stranger in your midst”

“Ah – well” Tara smiled back at her “You see to us, he is not a stranger. Harry's known him nearly six years”

“Well – that explains it”

xoxox

“Professor Robertson” Pansy stood up, and walked over to where Paul had walked in to the waiting room “Are you alright?”

“Yes, thank you, Mrs Wells” Paul nodded “But I heard about Professor Krum, and I wanted to offer my best wishes.....” He paused “Something's wrong?”

“No” Andrew shook his head, walking up behind his wife “The labour is taking longer than usual, but I don't think there's anything to worry about”

“Oh – okay” Paul nodded “Well – if you could give Hermione my best wishes and congratulations, I would be most grateful”

“You can't stay?”

“I'm sorry - I have a previous appointment” Paul shrugged apologetically “Otherwise I would” He turned and walked out of the waiting room, leaving Pansy and Andrew behind him. Pansy watched him go, then turned to her husband.

“Did he seem a little.... off to you?” She asked.

“A little, yeah” Andrew replied, then shrugged “Maybe he's coming down with something”

xoxox

Paul walked out of the hospital grounds, then, after looking around, he closed his eyes and apparated away.

He re-appeared in front of a nondescript pub, and walked inside. Nodding to the barman, he cast some powder in to the floo, and a few moments later, found himself in his quarters.

“So the mudblood is having problems” He said to himself “Well - I can't say I am weeping in to my butter-beer. People like her shouldn't be having kids. And what does she expect, going to a filthy muggle place like that?” He shook his head “Gets just what she deserves” He walked over to the table at the centre of the room, and smiled “At least I can do this”

He sat down in front of the table, picked up the parchment, and started to chant.

xoxox

“I have been in contact with the others” Adam faced his two associates. There was a slight twitch of fear on Derek's face, which made Adam smile slightly “Not The Senior Partners, Derek – the other members of the group”

“What did they say?” Mark asked, glancing between the two.

“They are worried that Draco might be captured – that he might give us up if he is questioned by The Ministry”

“I thought Draco could resist veritaserum? And that he was trained in occlumency?” Mark frowned “Have they developed something new?”

“No” Adam shook his head “But The Ministry seems to have formed a working relationship with this Western Sky group, and we have no information on their skills and abilities, nor what equipment they have at their disposal”

“You are worried Bones or Tonks will bring in this group.... this Western Sky?” Derek asked.

“They did when we sent Tyler to take care of Bones” Mark replied “And Draco is still wanted for murder and being a Death Eater – they wouldn't think twice about using any means necessary to question him “

“And if they question him” Derek continued the train of thought “They will find the group” He paused, then faced Adam “They will find us”

“As you can imagine, the rest of the group are worried about that” Adam replied calmly “And if we three are caught, the reactions of The Senior Partners.....” He trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. He shook his head, then smiled “After discussions with the rest of the group, we have come to the conclusion that Draco is a problem we can not afford to have”

“So you are going to take care of him?”

“If he is taken in by the Aurors, then he will be met by a welcoming committee” Adam smiled “One who will ensure he will never speak to The Ministry”

xoxox

“So what do you think they are going to call her?” Remus and Susan were talking to Claire and Arnold.

“Hermione promised that they wouldn't name her after themselves” Arnold smiled “And I think they promised the other members that their names would be excluded as well” He paused “And how do you know it's a girl?”

“Our resident seer mentioned something about it” Susan glanced across at Luna “She hasn't told anyone else – we just got to talking one night, and she kind of let it slip”

“Oh” Claire paused for a moment, then shrugged “Well – a grand-daughter. Sounds nice” She paused “Claire Krum? Daria Krum?” She realised they were staring at her in surprise “Maybe not”

“I am sure Minnie will pick a nice sensible, solid name, that will make both of you proud” Susan smiled, then they all turned as she heard a noise. Harry and Sally were stood in front of the doors to the delivery suite, clasping each other's hand very tightly.

“We have some news”

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

 _There is the bad_

A coffin is carried past Hermione and Viktor, who are dressed in black.

 _The good_

“Guess what?”

 _And the terrible_

 _The night sky is filled with flames, as fires burn through the village_

 _Find out what happens in "Requiem", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

“Professor Robertson is not coming” Headmaster Dippit stared across the office at the current incumbent.

“So it would seem” Dumbledore replied with a sigh “I had such high hopes for him - I really believed that we could combine our efforts – that we could work together to make the world a better place”

“Like you wanted to work with Professor Snape?” Dippit's portrait stared at him “You thought the same of him, Albus, and look what came of that”

“So what would you have me do?” Dumbledore snapped “Stop trying to redeem people? Judge everyone by their mistakes, and not their potential?”

“Perhaps it would be best” Dippit replied calmly, as if the Headmaster hadn't raised his voice “Snape was beyond forgiveness when you met him, and through your actions – or rather your inaction – more people were forced to suffer”

“And you think I am making the same mistake with Paul?” Dumbledore asked “That if I don't hand him over to The Ministry, he will only become more corrupt?”

“I don't know” Dippit shrugged “I am not a seer, nor am I God. I would merely point out that your Professor tried to murder The Minister Of Magic, and kidnapped two children”

“And you think he can't change? That he doesn't deserve a second chance?”

“I am wondering why you feel it is your position to make that choice” Dippit gazed at him “Why you set yourself up as the moral guardian of this world?” Dumbledore returned the gaze, then shrugged.

“Who else is there?”

xoxox

“We have some news” Everyone turned to face Harry and Sally. They were stood, clasping each others hands.

“What?” Claire asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

“Viktor and Hermione Krum would like to announce the birth of their first child” Sally replied, then, glancing at Luna with a sly smile, she continued “Robert Sirius Krum” There was a moment of silence, then the room exploded in to chatter. Harry and Sally watched them for a moment, then Harry put his fingers in his mouth and gave a loud whistle.

“Thank you” He said when everyone had stopped talking “Both mother and child are doing fine, and I am sure the father will be okay once he manages to get the feeling back in to his hands again” He paused as the fathers in the group laughed “Anyway – Minnie is well, despite the problems during the birth, and is resting for the moment. She has asked if her parents, and Luna, Susan and Remus can stay, but requests everyone else go home, and she will see them later” Everyone nodded, and the group started to break up.

Harry walked over to where Remus, Susan and Sirius were sat, and sat down next to them.

“I haven't told her anything yet – she picked the name on her own” He said, glancing at Sirius “I thought that – given the day she has had – we could wait until later?”

“Of course” Sirius gave a brief nod “Is that why she didn't include me in her group?”

“Yes, but I am sure she won't mind if you stick around” Harry smiled.

“I think it would be best if you did” Luna said, sitting down next to them “Amelia believes that you and Hermione are old friends – that you met in America, and you came across for a visit a few weeks ago” She paused “And she thinks you are called Rick Wayne” She realised the four of them were staring at her in surprise “Well – what was I supposed to tell The Minister? That you had come back from the dead because Sally turned Ginny in to a cat?”

“Good point” Remus grinned “And since we are on the topic of unlikely stories, can you explain something, Miss Lovegood?”

“Let me guess” Luna returned the grin “How Vik and Min had a boy, instead of the girl I predicted?”

“You have to admit – it is not like you to be wrong” Susan paused, then added “Aside from the Superbowl predictions I mean”

“Well – it's like this” Luna said “I just made it up” She burst out laughing at the expressions on their faces “Oh for a camera”

“You made it up?” Remus continued to stare at her in surprise “Why?”

“Because you wouldn't stop asking me” Luna looked at him reproachfully “Despite the fact I told you I didn't know, you just assumed I must. So – in the end - I just picked a sex at random, and went with it” She gave another chuckle “And hopefully you will learn your lesson”

“Which is?” Sirius asked.

“I am not Penelope Bailey, and I do not have twenty-twenty foresight”

“Okay” Remus held his hands up in surrender “So – shall we go visit the happy couple?”

xoxox

“Delexus mutantas desolute rexana. Molachi quartetum reductum ensalment. Toxali ventetta pluthara tilx” Paul completed his chant, then leaned back and took a deep breath. If he was right, the spell should be complete, and he could move on to the next part of his plan.

“All I need is.....” He trailed off at the sound of knocking “Is someone to play with” He stood up, and walked over to the door, and pulled it open “Headmaster”

“Paul” Dumbledore gave a slight nod, then walked in to his quarters. Paul gave a smirk, then closed the door, and turned to follow his boss.

xoxox

“Oh Hermione – he's gorgeous” Susan stared down at the little bundle Hermione held in her arms “He's so perfect”

“He is, isn't he” Hermione fussed with the blanket for a moment, smiling down at her son “I mean – I've seen Harry and Sally with the kids, and Prue and Andy, but I never thought.....” She trailed off, staring at her child.

“We should go” Claire said quietly “Hermione needs rest, and we can come back tomorrow”

“Thank you for – you know” Hermione smiled at them, and watched as they left. As Harry and Sally were about to walk out, she called out to them.

“Yes, Min?”

“Who was the guy with red hair?” She asked, glancing between the two of them.

“That's kind of a long story” Sally replied with a smile “How about we tell you tomorrow?”

“Okay” Hermione nodded, then yawned “Hey - I almost forgot”

“What?”

“Happy Christmas”

xoxox

“So you've decided not to co-operate?” Dumbledore put down the cup of tea he had been drinking, and faced his potions professor.

“I'm sorry, Headmaster, but I am not willing to be your slave for the rest of my life”

“You believe that turning yourself over to The Ministry will serve you better?” Dumbledore asked in surprise “Attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, kidnapping – I would be surprised if you ever saw the light of day again”

“I am willing to take my chances with The Wizengamot” Paul smiled “After all, I believe we share some common values” He shrugged “I wouldn't be surprised if they let me off, even give me a medal”

“You really believe that?” Dumbledore stared at him as if the potions teacher had lost his mind.

“Probably not, no” Paul grinned maniacally “But given a choice between you and them, I would rather put myself in their hands than yours”

“You distrust me that much?” Dumbledore asked sadly.

“Lets just say that I have reasons to believe your motives are not as pure as you say” Paul replied.

“And what reasons are those, pray tell?”

“Stories from those who have had first hand experience of your brand of protection and friendship” Paul grinned “Mr and Mrs Potter, for example, have been quite eloquent on the topic. As has Miss Lovegood”

“Harry is a troubled young man, Professor, and I would not put too much faith in anything he says” Dumbledore replied sharply “And as for Miss Lovegood – her flights of fancy are well known throughout our community, but very few people take them seriously”

“And then there are the lessons of my mentor and friend, Severus Snape” Paul couldn't help laughing as Dumbledore's eyes went wide “When he came to you at the end of the first war, you promised him help and protection. And then you forced him in to teaching – you forced him to live here, in the castle, so you could keep an eye on him, ensure he wasn't straying from the path” Paul stood up and started pacing back and forth in front of the Headmaster “You made him your servant – your slave. Doing everything you demanded for fear of being turned over to Bones and Tonks”

“How...... how do you know so much about Severus?” Dumbledore asked.

“Is it any wonder he betrayed you, and returned to The Dark Lord?” Paul sneered “At least Lord Voldemort was obvious and honest about what he was. You, on the other hand.... you pretend to be the paragon of goodness and virtue – the standard barer of the Side of Light, and all the while you scheme, you plot, you manipulate and you betray. You let nothing stand in the way of what you want, and woe betide anyone who would stand up to you”

“That's enough!” Dumbledore jumped to his feet “I will not be spoken to like this by a subordinate” He glared at Paul “I am willing to forgive your comments so far, as you are under a lot of strain, but now you must stop this childishness, and come along with me” He stared at his potions professor “It is not as if you have a choice, is it?”

“Between you and The Ministry?” Paul asked calmly “If those were my only options, then maybe you would be right. But thankfully my imagination is not as limited as yours, and I do see a third way”

“And what would that be?” Dumbledore asked in a sneering voice “Spend the rest of your life on the run? Go in to hiding?”

“Nothing so dramatic, Albus” Paul shook his head, then pulled out his wand “I believe my problems can be solved with your death” He watched as Dumbledore reached in to his robes “I wouldn't advise that. The potion I slipped in your tea has all but drained your magical core” He smiled as Dumbledore paled “And the spell I cast before you arrived will mask any spells I cast. The only question that remains is whether we do this the easy way, or the hard way”

For a few moments, they stared at each other across the room. Then Dumbledore drew his wand.

“The hard way it is then”

xoxox

“Honey? You okay?” Sally looked up from the seat she was in, and smiled.

“I'm fine” She replied, then glanced across the room. Everyone else was enjoying the impromptu Christmas Eve/Baby party Harry had arranged, but she had wanted to be on her own for a while.

“Do you want me to repeat what you used to tell me?” Harry grinned at her, and she managed a faint smile back “Seriously – what's wrong?”

“There's something I haven't told you” She replied, looking back down at the drink in her hand “Something that happened in the past”

“So tell me now” He said softly, squatting down in front of her.

“I can't” She shook her head “I did a terrible thing, and I'm afraid if I tell you....”

“That I will think worse of you?” He asked with a faint smile “That I won't love you any more?” She stared at him for a moment, then nodded “Honey – whatever you did, I will still love you” He lifted her chin up with his hand “Tell me” She took a deep breath, then nodded again.

“When we captured Ginny, she was refusing to talk” Sally spoke in a monotone voice “I tried legilimency, but it didn't work” She paused, then continued “We needed to know what she did, and when she did it, so I....” She trailed off.

“You tortured her?” Harry asked.

“I used a modified Cruciatus curse – one that runs through my hands” Sally said, not looking at him “I took hold of her arm, and sent the spell through it” She raised her eyes and stared at him “Do you hate me now?”

“Oh honey – no” He shook his head, then hugged her “You did what you had to do to get us back” He kissed her softly, then asked “Did you enjoy it?”

“God no” She shook her head violently “It makes me sick just to think of it”

“Then you are punishing yourself far worse than anyone else would” He kissed her again, then pulled her to her feet “I love you, Mrs Potter – don't ever doubt that”

“And I love you too, Mr Potter” She grinned at him, then glanced over to the rest of the group “Shall we?”

“We shall” He took her hand, and they walked over to where the rest of the group were already singing.

"Silent Night"

 _(We see the deserted halls of Hogwarts. A moment later, there is a flash of red light, and a chunk of stone is blown out of the wall)_

"Holy night"

 _(Dumbledore runs round the corner of the hall, his eyes full of fear. A moment later, another chunk of stone is blown away as another spell crashes in to the wall)_

"All is calm"

 _(Paul, cloak flowing, rounds the same corner as Dumbledore, and charges after him. He launches a volley of spells)_

"All is bright"

 _(The spells crash against the far end of the corridor together, making a huge blaze of light)_

"Round yon virgin"

 _(Dumbledore hides in an alcove, and starts firing back)_

"Mother and child"

 _(Paul dodges the curses thrown at him, and fires a killing curse back)_

"Holy Infant"

 _(Dumbledore throws himself out the way, and the curse explodes above him)_

"So tender and mild"

 _(Dumbledore lies on the ground, slightly hurt. Paul walks down the corridor towards him)_

"Sleep in heavenly peace"

 _(Paul fires four curses, breaking Dumbledore's arms and legs. The headmaster stares up at him, terror etched on his face as Paul transforms in to Draco)_

"Sleep"

 _(“This is for my father”)_

"In”

 _(“Draco...”)_

“Heavenly"

 _("AVADA KEDAVRA!")_

"Peace"

 _(Draco walks away, leaving Dumbledore's body splayed out on the ground)_

 _(end of act 3)_


	3. Requiem

“Filius - I need you on the third floor” Flitwick turned as a silver cat bounded in to the room. A moment later, it bounded out again. He stood up, and followed it with a sigh.

Five minutes later, he found McGonagall stood at the end of the Defence Corridor, staring down at the floor. He walked up behind her, then stopped as he realised what she was staring at.

“Albus....”

“Yes, Filius” McGonagall nodded “He's dead”

xoxox

“JOY TO THE WORLD! THE DAY HAS COME!” Sally's voice rang out through The Potter House. From across the kitchen, Harry watched her with a fond smile on her face.

“TODAY! WE GET! OUR Mum?”

“We get our mum?” Harry asked in surprise, then turned to see Sally staring at Remus and Susan, stood in the doorway “Greetings! Merry Christ....” He realised they weren't smiling in return “What's wrong? Is it Hermione?”

“No” Susan shook her head, then took a deep breath “Albus Dumbledore was found dead at Hogwarts this morning” She paused, waiting for their reaction. When they merely stared at her, she added “Director Tonks thinks he was murdered”

xoxox

_The Western Sky_

_Staring_

_Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

_with_

_Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

_and_

_Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood, Robert Krum,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

_Episode 3 : Requiem._

Guest Staring : Francis Blocker, Filius Flitwick, Draco Malfoy, Griselda Marchbanks, Minerva McGonagall, Elwyn Moran, Paul Robertson and Flintlock The Goblin

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

“I realise it's Christmas, Director, but....”

“I understand Minister” Tonks nodded “I will go to Hogwarts right away, and see what I can find” She paused “I have got clearance to investigate?”

“Yes” Amelia nodded in response “Professor McGonagall has been named temporary Headmistress, and has overridden the objection of The Board to letting The Ministry in to the school. You will have a free hand to investigate whatever you want”

“Thanks” Tonks smiled “That will make this a little easier” She paused “I know this is a little off the wall, but have Harry and Sally been informed?”

“I got in touch with Susan Lupin earlier this morning” Amelia replied “I thought that, given Harry's history with Professor Dumbledore, they should get some advance warning – rather than being ambushed by the press at some point”

“Good idea” Tonks smiled “Then I will be off to Hogwarts. I will report back when I am done”

“Thanks” Amelia glanced at the pad on her desk, then looked up “Remember – there are a lot of people watching us on this, Dora”

“Yes boss” Tonks gave a little salute, then tuned and walked out of The Minister's office, and back to her own. Picking up a small bag of tools, she opened the floo to McGonagall's office.

“Nymphadora” McGonagall nodded “I assume you would like to see the body?”

“First I'd like to see the area he died in” Tonks replied “From what you've said, there is a lot of damage?”

“Some, yes” McGonagall stood up, and then lead Tonks through the halls until they reached the third floor “As you can see, it seems the fight ended here” She paused, then pointed a bit further down the corridor “That's where I found Albus” Tonks bowed her head for a moment, then looked around.

“Does the trail lead anywhere?” She turned, and looked back down the corridor “Could we follow the damage back? Maybe find out where the fight started?”

“No” McGonagall shook her head “Once you get out of the Defence Corridor, there's no evidence of anything”

“Oh well” Tonks shrugged “It was just an idea” She looked up and down the hall “Okay – can I ask you to go down to the other end of the corridor for a moment?”

“Why?”

“I have a spell I need to cast, and there can't be any outside influences” Tonks pulled out her wand “If you are in the area, you risk contaminating it – muddying the results” McGonagall stared at her for a moment, then turned and strode away to the end of the corridor.

“Is this far enough?”

“Yes, thank you” Tonks replied, then she turned, and started to cast the spell.

xoxox

“Merry Christmas – let me help you with that” Harry took the baby-carrier from Hermione as she and Viktor came through the floo. He carried baby Robert over to the sofa, and gently put the carrier down.

“Merry Christmas” Hermione leaned over and kissed him on the cheek “Although I suspect it was a little more merry a few hours ago”

“Maybe a little” Sally smiled as she came in to the lounge “But who's the cutie-wutiest widdle baby in the whole world?”

“Pardon me?” Viktor turned, then realised Sally wasn't talking to them.

“You are – yes you are!” Sally smiled down at Robert “You are just the cutest widdle baby in baby land”

“Was your wife always this crazy?” Hermione grinned at her friend's antics “I mean – was she this way with the other kids?”

“Oh yeah” Harry nodded “With Ella, the twins – even with Dora” They watched Sally fuss over Robert for a few moments, then Harry turned back to Hermione and Viktor “So – you've heard?”

“About the Headmaster?” Viktor asked “Professor McGonagall got in touch earlier. There is a staff meeting in two days time to discuss the future”

“Not today?” Sally asked, glancing away from the baby “I would've thought McGonagall would be on this like a cat, if you will excuse the phrase”

“I think she realised it's Christmas” Hermione smiled “And that a few of the staff won't be able to make it back before then”

“And that some of us had a baby less than twenty four hours ago” Viktor added.

“That too” Hermione replied, then sighed “Are we all dancing round the major issue here?”

xoxox

“Minister Bones – may I have a word?” Amelia looked up as Madam Marchbanks stood at the door to her office.

“Of course, Madam Marchbanks – have a seat”

“Thank you” Marchbanks closed the door behind her, and sat down “I wanted to ask if you'd had any thoughts about Albus' replacement?” Bones stared at her for a moment, then shook her head in disbelief.

“He's not even cold, and already you are moving on”

“I am just concerned about the future of the school” Marchbanks frowned at her “Albus has been Headmaster for nearly forty years – it's going to be hard to find someone who can replace him. Someone who can command the same respect and reverence that he commanded”

“That's true” Amelia admitted “But isn't Professor McGonagall going to take over? I mean – she is the deputy Headmistress, and is best placed to move up to running the school”

“That is one possibility” Marchbanks nodded “But there are a few members of The Wizengamot who think that it might be wise to bring in a new broom, so to speak”

“A new broom?”

“As I said previously, Dumbledore ran the school for over thirty years. And in that time, he made a lot of changes”

“Yes – he was one of the most progressive Headmasters that Hogwarts has ever seen” Amelia smiled, but her smile faded as she realised what Marchbanks was getting at “But that's the problem, isn't it?”

“Don't get me wrong - I think he should be proud of some of what he has achieved, but there are those in The Wizengamot who think he has taken the school in the wrong direction” She paused “And they are looking at this.... situation as a chance to rectify that”

“They see McGonagall as being one of Dumbledore's stooges?” Amelia asked “And that if they promote her, she will continue his plan?”

“That's the fear, yes” Marchbanks nodded “So – what they were wondering was if they could produce an alternative suitable candidate, would you be willing to support them?”

“I guess that would depend on the candidate” Amelia replied with a slight smile “I mean - I can't promise anything without more specifics”

“Of course” Amelia couldn't help noticing that the smile Marchbanks gave her seemed a touch forced “I wouldn't want you to compromise your integrity on such an important decision as this” She stood up “When can I expect your report on the murder?”

“Director Tonks is at Hogwarts now - I am expecting to hear from her within the hour, and as soon as I have her report, I will make sure it is distributed as necessary”

“Thank you” Marchbanks gave a brief nod, then turned and left the office. Amelia watched her go, then put her head in her hands.

“Well – this is not going to end well”

xoxox

“This isn't right” Tonks stared at the mist in front of her.

“What isn't right?” McGonagall asked, walking up behind her.

“This should show all of the spells exchanged in the battle that led up to Dumbledore's murder” Tonks said “You can see the ones that the Headmaster cast” She pointed to a number of lines that hung in the air before them.

“But?”

“But the other ones – the ones from the person he was fighting – they aren't there” She gestured to a crack in the wall “Someone blasted a hole in the wall, but there is no spell trace to show how it was done” She paused “And, despite the fact we know Dumbledore was murdered with a killing curse, there is no evidence of one being cast”

“So the person who attacked Albus was masking his spells?” McGonagall shrugged “It is not that hard to do”

“No – you misunderstand me” Tonks turned to face her former teacher “The spell was based on one I was taught by.... by a friend of mine. It displays the magic that Hogwarts itself saw”

“Pardon me?”

“The spell brings up the memories of Hogwarts – what it saw last night, when Dumbledore was killed” Tonks gestured to the mist, still hanging in the air “The fact that only Dumbledore's spells are showing up means that whoever killed him was not only masked from my detection, but from the Hogwarts wards themselves”

“But.....” McGonagall trailed off, then shook her head “But that's impossible”

“I know”

xoxox

“So we have no leads at all?” Amelia stared up at Tonks. The Director had finished delivering her report, and now Amelia was reading through it.

“Pretty much” Tonks said with a sigh “Professor McGonagall examined the wards, and it seems that, for around ninety minutes last night, someone tampered with them”

“How? And.... how?” The Minister asked.

“I am not sure how they did it – Minerva is looking in to it, but I wouldn't hold your breath” Tonks replied with a sigh “As to what they did – well that's the interesting part. They made themselves invisible to the wards, without actually taking any of them down”

“So they could apparate in the school?”

“Well – yes, that would be one side-effect” Tonks nodded “But it also means that the spell that Fred and Mabel taught me was useless – Hogwarts doesn't even acknowledge that any spells were cast against Dumbledore last night, let alone the killing curse we know killed him”

“And because you can't trace the spells, you can't find out who cast them?” Amelia asked.

“Unless we can find an eye witness, or someone comes forward to confess......”

“And get life in Azkaban”

“...... there isn't a lot we can do” Tonks said with a shake of her head “I'm sorry - I know you wanted better news than that”

“Don't worry about it” Amelia waved her off “You have done everything you can – let me handle the rest of it”

“Yes boss” Tonks grinned, then snapped her fingers “Oh - I knew there was something else I had to talk to you about” She pulled a chair out, and sat down “As you know, I have a few friends in The Wizengamot. They keep me appraised of things they think might interest me”

“And I take it something has interested you?”

“It seems Madam Marchbanks has had a busy morning, and an even busier afternoon” Tonks said seriously “Apparently she has approached more than thirty members today, about the topic of who will be the next Headmaster”

“Thirty?” Amelia shook her head “Clearly I underestimated her determination”

“Huh?”

“She came to see me first thing this morning, to suggest that Professor McGonagall might not be the best person to take the job” Amelia replied “She thinks that Dumbledore was too progressive, and that we need to return to a more traditional schooling method” She smiled “I take it the people she's been talking to would be on the traditionalist side?”

“If you mean are they all pure bloods and proud of it, the answer would be yes”

“I see” Amelia leaned back in her seat, then suddenly bent forward with a smile on her face “Tonks”

“Yes, Minister?”

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

“Probably not, Minister” She paused “I'm not really thinking anything much” She grinned “Why – what are you thinking?”

“That if Marchbanks can campaign to put someone in to Hogwarts, why can't I?”

xoxox

“Mr Potter – what was your reaction to the death of Albus Dumbledore?”

“Mrs Potter – you publicly criticised Professor Dumbledore after your defeat of Voldemort. Do you regret doing that now?”

“Mr Potter – are you glad that Professor Dumbledore is dead?”

“Mrs Potter – given your history, do you think Professor McGonagall should take over the position?”

“Do you want to get out of here?” Sally glanced down at her daughter, then back at her husband.

“I think we should” Harry put a protective arm around Ella. Half an hour before, they had flood in to Diagon Alley to buy a present for Robert. But after they had left Flourish and Blotts, they had been ambushed by a gaggle of reporters.

“How about Gringotts?” Sally suggested “They wouldn't dare follow us there”

“Okay” Harry nodded, then turned to the reporters “I am afraid neither Mrs Potter nor myself has anything to say at this time” As Sally took Ella's other hand, the two of them pushed forward, and walked towards Gringotts.

“Mr Potter – do you have any comment on the.....”

“They aren't going to give up, are they?” Sally whispered.

“Probably not” Harry whispered back, then glanced at his daughter “You okay, Ella?”

“Yes Dad” Ella smiled up at him “Why do they want to talk to you?”

“Because we had our disagreements with Headmaster Dumbledore” Sally said softly “And they want to make a story out of it”

“Oh” Ella replied, then shrugged “Okay”

“Mr Potter – why are you not saying anything? Do you have something to hide?”

“Sally – do you think Minister Bones would take it amiss if I cursed a few of them?”

“It's possible sweetie” Sally smirked, then looked up “We're here” She guided her daughter in to the bank, then watched as her husband turned to face the reporters.

“As I said – we have no comment to make at this time” Harry said in a raised voice, then he turned and followed his wife and daughter in to the bank.

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

“Flintlock – may gold flow to your door” Harry bowed low “I am sorry about all this”

“Do not worry about it, Mr Potter” The goblin returned the bow “I am surprised to see you in The Alley today - I would have thought with all of this going on, you would have stayed at home”

“We came in to pick up a present for Robert” Sally said with a slight grin “And for some reason we thought the press might respect our privacy” She couldn't help laughing when Flintlock snorted in response “Yeah – we were being a tad optimistic”

“To say the least” Flintlock smiled back “So – would you like to use a floo to get home?”

“If we may” Harry asked, then gestured towards the main door “I am not sure we would be able to get back to the public floo point”

“I might be able to help with that” The four of them turned as Amelia and Tonks walked towards them. The Minister stopped, and turned to the goblin “Flintlock - I was wondering if we may use one of your meeting rooms. We have something to discuss with Mr and Mrs Potter, something that might interest you as well”

“Of course” Flintlock nodded “If you would like to come this way” He turned, and strode off through the bank, followed by Tonks and Amelia. Harry and Sally exchanged glances, then lead Ella off after them.

xoxox

“The funeral has been arranged for three days time” Viktor walked in to the lounge, where Hermione was feeding Robert “Professor McGonagall was in touch – she thought you would want to know. It's being held at Hogwarts, and he is being buried in the school cemetery”

“Thanks” Hermione nodded “I assume you said we'd be there?”

“Of course” Viktor sat down next to her, and smiled at their son “Would you like to find a baby sitter? I am not sure a funeral would be the best place for him”

“I will ask my parents” Hermione smiled across at him “Neither of them will want to attend – my guess is there will be a lot of big-wigs from The Wizengamot and The Ministry, and I can't imagine they will do anything other than look down their noses at two muggles” She smirked “Even muggles who saved the world ten years ago”

“And you still want to go and spend time with them?” Viktor smirked, but Hermione swatted his arm.

“Don't get me wrong - I still have some issues with the way he did things, but he did give me a chance to teach, and – well I was a member of his staff” She shrugged “It's one of those things I have to do”

“I understand, and I will be by your side” He leaned over and kissed her “Who else do you think will come?”

xoxox

“We have got some Aurors in Diagon Alley” Tonks said once they had sat down in the conference room “Once we are finished here, they will be happy to escort you to the public floo point, if you still want to go out that way” She glanced at Flintlock “They are waiting outside Gringotts, and they won't violate the territory of the bank”

“In this circumstance, I am not sure my superiors would mind, but thank you for that consideration” The goblin nodded.

“However, there is something we wanted to talk to you about first” Amelia glanced at Ella, then turned to Harry and Sally “Whatever we say in here will be kept between us - I promise that neither the Director nor I will talk to the press, nor The Wizengamot, without your permission”

“Okay” Harry nodded “You can pretty much take it as read that we won't either”

“You do surprise me” Amelia grinned, then her face turned serious “Over the past twenty four hours, Madam Marchbanks has been leading a campaign to get Professor McGonagall replaced as the next head teacher of Hogwarts”

“Already?” Sally asked in surprise “It's not been two days yet – and one of those was Christmas Day!”

“I think that she believes time is of the essence – that if she waits too long, Minerva will become Headmistress by default” Tonks replied “But that's not what's worrying us” She glanced at Amelia, who nodded “Marchbanks has been saying that Dumbledore was too progressive, and that Hogwarts needs a more traditional approach over the next few years” She saw expressions of understanding on Harry and Sally's face “I'm glad you understand”

“She wants to put a pure-blood supporter in to the post” Sally said slowly “And I guess someone who would be more willing to work with The Wizengamot in the day to day running of the school?”

“Pretty much” Amelia nodded “And, as you can imagine, I am not so happy about that idea, given what else Madam Marchbanks has been trying to do over the past year or so” She paused “Given what I said before, what do you think of Professor McGonagall as the next Headmistress?” Harry and Sally exchanged glances, then Harry turned back to Minister Bones.

“You have probably know our opinion of McGonagall – we think she is far too loyal to Dumbledore, and doesn't appear to have a mind of her own” He said calmly “And it is safe to say that, if she becomes Headmistress, then we won't be sending our children to Hogwarts, and we will recommend that neither Dora nor LJ attend”

“And if she was replaced by a.....” Tonks waved her arm, trying to find the words.

“A Marchbanks' Puppet?” Sally asked with a grin.

“For want of a better phrase”

“Then I can't imagine us changing our position” Sally replied “If Hogwarts is going to turn in to a pure-blood school, then I really don't see any of us letting our children anywhere near the place” She watched as the two Ministry employees exchanged glances, then Amelia turned back.

“That's pretty much what we thought” She said with a slight smile “And I suspect that quite a few people will share your views, at least in regard to whoever Madam Marchbanks might install” She paused, then gave them a bigger smile “But what if I were to suggest a third alternative – someone who is not a Dumbledore loyalist, but at the same time is not a pure-blood sympathiser? If we could find someone to fit the bill, would we have your support?”

“It would depend on the candidate” Sally said “But I think if you were to find the person you described, both Harry and I would be willing to show our support” She paused “For what it's worth – we aren't that politically powerful any more”

“But your names still carry some weight” Tonks replied, then turned to Flintlock “I realise that you don't speak for the goblin nation, but do you have an opinion on this?” The goblin looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded.

“Although I am not one to tell you how to run the country, I think that a pure-blood sympathiser in charge of Hogwarts would be a disaster” He said carefully “As it is now, a majority of students come out of the school believing that wizards are the most superior beings, and that any other magical creatures are not worth their time” He saw Harry and Sally nodding in agreement, while Tonks and Bones looked thoughtful “And while Headmaster Dumbledore was progressive in some ways, in others he was very traditional, if not regressive. And I don't believe that Professor McGonagall would change that – in fact I think she would only amplify it and make it worse”

“So you would be in favour of another option?” Amelia asked.

“It's not my place to comment on the policies of wizards” Flintlock gave them a sly smile “However, I think that neither of the current options would benefit future relations between the wizarding and goblin nations” He stood up “And I think that is all I will say. So, if you will excuse me” He turned, and walked out of the room. After he had closed the door, Tonks turned back to Harry and Sally.

“We are pretty much done as well” She paused, then snapped her fingers “Oh – there is one more thing. Before we arrived, Professor McGonagall informed us that the funeral is in three days time, at Hogwarts” She saw both of them smile “I am under no illusion that you will be attending it, but I thought you would like to know”

“Thank you” Harry replied with a nod “Now – we really should get back. They'll be wondering why we are out so long”

“What are you going to do about the press?” Amelia asked “They won't leave you alone – if you don't comment today, they will come after you tomorrow”

“We don't think it is appropriate to comment before the funeral” Sally said “And hopefully – once you announce this mysterious candidate, they will ask us about that instead”

xoxox

 _(Three days later)_

A lone banner showing the Hogwarts Crest hung in The Great Hall. The magical ceiling had been turned off, leaving the bare rafters above the gathered congregation.

The doors opened, and everyone stood as the coffin, draped in the Dumbledore crest, was levitated in. McGonagall and Flitwick guided it down the central aisle, then brought it to rest at the front of the hall. Both professors gave a slight bow, then walked round to take their seats along the back wall. Madam Marchbanks watched them sit, then turned to face the assembled crowd.

“We are here today to pay tribute to truly great man. Albus Dumbledore was the longest serving Headmaster of Hogwarts in recent history, and lead both The Wizengamot and The International Confederation of Wizards during his illustrious career”

As Marchbanks continued to talk, Viktor and Hermione exchanged glances, then began to communicate via their hands.

“Do you think she will mention his attempted kidnapping?” Viktor asked.

“I am guessing probably not” Hermione replied “Even if she has come here to bury him, rather than to praise him”

“Act 3, Scene 2?”

“You've been reading behind my back” Hermione gave a slight smile. Viktor smiled back, then looked forward again.

“I see Pansy and Andrew came”

“Pansy said that, as she wasn't as involved in the war as us, she didn't have the reasons that Harry, Sally and Luna had to not attend”

“You know they are going to ask us about the others” He glanced up to the front where Marchbanks, Flitwick and McGonagall were now sat, listening to someone else speak about Dumbledore “They are going to wonder why they aren't here”

“We'll tell them what we were asked to tell them” Hermione said calmly “That's all we can do” She glanced up “I think they are coming to an end” Viktor glanced forward as well, then they both stood, along with the rest of the congregation, as McGonagall levitated the coffin back through The Great Hall, and out. After a moment, they followed.

xoxox

“Miss Parkinson” McGonagall walked up to a small group at the wake.

“Mrs Wells now” Pansy replied with a smile “This is my husband, Andrew”

“It's a pleasure to meet you” McGonagall said dismissively, then turned to Hermione and Viktor “Professor Krum - I was surprised to see that Mr and Mrs Potter, and Miss Lovegood are not here”

“Are you really that surprised, Minerva?” Hermione asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention “Or are you just pretending to be surprised so as to defend Albus' memory?” McGonagall stared at her, but Hermione didn't give her a chance to respond “Given their past statements about Professor Dumbledore, and their history with him, Harry, Sally and Luna felt they couldn't, in good conscience, come and pay respect to him without looking like hypocrites”

“How dare you.....”

“Professors” Pansy talked softly, but it cut across both Hermione and McGonagall “You would do well to remember where you are, and why you are here” She glanced around “May I suggest that any differences of opinion you might have can be settled after we are finished?” The two teachers looked at her, then both nodded. McGonagall turned and stalked away, while Hermione turned back to Pansy.

“Thank you” She said with a slight smile “I suspect if we'd carried on, it would have ended badly”

“To say the least” Pansy smiled back, then her face fell “But I suspect you are not done playing politics yet” Before Hermione could respond, she heard another voice behind her.

“Professor Krum, I was wondering if I could have a word”

“Of course, Madam Marchbanks” Hermione grimaced at Pansy, then turned to face the Head of The Wizengamot “How may I be of assistance to you today?”

“I was wondering if you have any views on who should replace Professor Dumbledore as Headmaster”

“Isn't Professor McGonagall next in line?” Hermione asked “As Deputy, I would've thought she'd be perfectly placed”

“But you obviously have your differences with Minerva” Marchbanks smiled “She didn't give you any support over your child, and I know you have argued on other occasions” She paused “And, as you are the Head of one of the Seven Houses, your opinion carries a certain weight in our community”

“Madam Marchbanks – while I am gratified to learn that you think so much of my opinion, I think that this is neither the time nor the place to be talking about Professor Dumbledore's successor” Hermione held up her hand to stop Marchbanks replying “However, if you still value my opinion tomorrow, I will be happy to discuss it then”

“Very well” Marchbanks turned and walked away, leaving Hermione staring after her.

“Do you think they are planning on replacing her?” Andrew asked “Professor McGonagall I mean”

“It's possible” Hermione shrugged “But right now, I think I just want to go home, and hug my son” She paused, then sighed “But somehow, I don't think I can do that just yet, can I, Minister?”

“Not just yet” Amelia smiled as she walked up behind Pansy “However, once you hear what I have to say, I think you'll find it worth your while”

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

 _Someone gets an interesting offer_

“I would like to offer you the job of Defence Against The Dark Arts Professor”

 _Someone gets musical_

"Here's a Potter, there's a Potter and another little Potter, twice a Potter, half a Potter, not a Potter"

"DUCK!"

 _And someone gets a big surprise_

“Is that.... Cinderella's Castle?”

 _Find out what happens in "A New Beginning", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

“You can't be serious” Marchbanks stared across the desk at The Minister of Magic “You want to put a muggle-born in charge of educating our children?”

“I can't see any reason why not” Amelia replied “Professor McGonagall has decided to take the offer of retirement, and since none of the other staff want the responsibility of being Head Teacher, I think that Professor Krum-Black would be the perfect person to lead the school in to the new century”

“But....”

“And you have to consider the increasing number of muggle-born students coming in to the school. Having someone in charge who understands what they are going through could be very useful in helping them adapt to magical life”

“She was dismissed from Hogwarts” Marchbanks replied “She has just had a baby – do you really think she is ready to take on the running of the school?”

“She says she is” Amelia replied in a calm voice “I have talked to her about this, and she says that she can balance the needs of the school with taking care of her family” She paused “And, of course, her husband is a special liaison to The ICW, and stays at home a lot of the time” Marchbanks stared at her for a moment, then shook her head.

“I am sure you think this is a good idea, but I believe that once we take it to The Wizengamot.....”

“The Board have already agreed, Madam Marchbanks” Amelia gave her a slight smile “Once they discovered that Professor Krum-Black had the backing of five of the other Six Houses, all the Board members seemed to think she was an excellent choice” She saw Marchbanks sneer at her “Before you ask, I couldn't get in touch with Draco Malfoy to ask his opinion, but since he is wanted for murder and being a Death Eater, I am not sure his opinion matters much anyway” She paused “This is the way it is, Griselda. So you can either be a part of it, and be at the announcement with me, or you can sulk and moan and whine” She smiled “What's it going to be?”

xoxox

“Harry – you said you wanted to see us?” Viktor walked in to the lounge at The Potter House, followed by Hermione carrying a carry-cot.

“Yes” Harry nodded “Have a seat” He gestured to the couch “There's something we have to tell you – something we should have told you nearly a week ago – but what with the birth, and Dumbledore's murder and the machinations over the new Head Teacher” He paused and smiled at Hermione “Congratulations by the way”

“Thank you”

“There hasn't really been a lot of time” He continued “But now seems as good a time as any, so here goes” He took a deep breath “You remember when the twins were kidnapped?”

“Of course” Viktor said “It was just before Sally went missing for two weeks....” He trailed off “You found out why?”

“Yes” Harry nodded “When she came back – on Christmas Eve – she told us everything” He gave a slight smile “We did try to get in touch with you but....” He gestured towards where Robert was sleeping in his carry-cot “Well – anyway. The day that Sirius and Susan were kidnapped, Sally used a time-turner to go back and try to track Draco” He waved away the shocked looks he got “I know – there are rules about that sort of thing, but lets say it was a Western Sky operation and leave it at that”

“Okay” Viktor nodded “What did she find out?”

“Nothing” Harry shook his head “Because Ginny Weasley cast a spell to change history, using the hearts of the twelve students Luna and Tara found on their picnic. Everyone – both of you, me, Dumbledore – were all caught up in it” He paused, then grinned when Hermione gasped in surprise.

“But because she was in the magical field of the time-turner, she was protected?”

“Yes” Harry grinned again “I knew you would figure it out. But to cut a long story short, Ginny went back in time, murdered Sally and her mother, and then manipulated history to marry me, and have you marry her older brother”

“Ron Weasley? Eugh!” Hermione shivered “But obviously history's been put right. I mean - I am not married to Ron”

“Sally found herself two allies in the.... alternative dimension” Harry replied “One was Director Tonks – who had no idea who Sally was, but trusted her enough to help her – and the other one was Tonks' cousin, who's life Ginny saved ten years before”

“Sirius?” Hermione gasped “He was alive?”

“The other Ginny knew everything that our Ginny did, so she was able to prevent Snape from killing him” He paused “The downside was, because Ginny knew nothing about us, The Western Sky was never formed, and all the people we helped – they all died” He shook his head “Sirius was willing to give up his life to ensure the past was put back on track” He paused, then grinned “As it turns out, Sally had other ideas”

“Pardon me?” Viktor stared at him “You mean....”

“The three of them found a way to send Sally back to the past, and before she went, she cast a temporal shield around Sirius” He paused, then smiled “You remember the red-head who visited you in hospital?”

“That was Uncle Mike?” Hermione stared at him in disbelief “He's alive?”

“Yes” A voice came from the door, and they turned to see Sirius walking in. Hermione stared at him for a moment, then she launched herself off the sofa and flung her arms around him. He hugged her back, not caring about the tears running down his face.

xoxox

“So – what are we going to do about the House of Black?” Hermione asked. After her tearful reunion, they had all sat down and started to talk about the ramifications of Sirius' return “I mean – now that you are back, do you want to reclaim your House?”

“And how would I explain that, exactly?” Sirius grinned at her “History shows that I died ten years ago. How would it look if I just turned up now?” He paused “Harry tells me you've been having problems with The Wizengamot already. If it looks like I faked my death to will House Black to you, there would be uproar” He shrugged “I think the identity Luna created for me will do just fine – a friend who has come over to visit for a little while. And if I chose to stay, to help out with the kids or the like, all the better”

“So you don't mind me continuing to head House Black?” Hermione asked quietly.

“No” He shook his head “Besides – from what I've been told over the past few days, you have been doing an excellent job. Why would I want to stop you now?”

“Good point” Harry said, then glanced at his watch “Not to sound like I am trying to get rid of you, but shouldn't you be going?” Hermione and Viktor stared at him “You wouldn't want to be late for your new job, would you?”

xoxox

“Can you believe this?” Francis Blocker turned to his friend “They are putting a mud-blood in charge of our school?” He threw his hands up “What's next? A mud-blood in charge of The Ministry? The Wizengamot!” He span round “I say – no more. We need to make them see how wrong they – how wrong they are to turn our world over to the inferior”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Francis stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

“Get some of the others together – ten or twenty people you can trust”

“Why?”

“We are going hunting”

xoxox

“Turn on the radio – there's something you should hear” Prue rushed in to the Potter lounge, and turned on the radio before anyone could respond.

“Once again – The Ministry has reported that a number of muggle villages have been attacked tonight by dark wizards. There is no clear information about casualties, but sources inside the DMLE say that at least twenty muggles are dead. We also don't know who is responsible – whether this is a resurgence in Death Eater activity or a whole new dark group. Minister Bones is expected to make a statement in half an hour or so”

xoxox

“So, Director – what do we know?” Tonks sighed, and handed over a parchment.

“We received this about five minutes ago, Minister” She said “Basically it says that this group – calling themselves the Knights of Ardon – object to Hermione Krum-Black teaching their kids, and, if she is not removed, will continue to strike the muggle parents of Hogwarts' students”

“Wonderful” Amelia sighed “So – what do we do?”

xoxox

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?” Draco stormed in to his base of operations, slamming the door behind him. When no one responded, he pulled out his wand and blasted one of the tables to smithereens “I believe I asked you a question. Don't make me ask it a second time”

“They put a mud-blood in charge of our school, my Lord” Francis replied “How could we let that go unanswered? I did what I thought you would want.....”

“CRUCIO!” Draco nearly screamed the curse. He held it for nearly a minute, then pulled his wand back “Have you learned nothing from the past? The Dark Lord tried to change the world by force, and he ended up cut in two by a muggle” He turned and glared at the rest “I promised you that we would take back our place in the country, and we will. But we have to do it carefully. Stunts like today won't help anyone, and I won't tolerate them” He paused, then turned back to Francis, who had managed to stand up again “I want everyone who was involved here in one hour. Do I make myself clear?”

xoxox

“Andrew – there's a message from Director Tonks” Pansy turned to her husband.

“Anything interesting?”

“They want to see Abby and Tim as soon as possible” He paused “It seems Andrea Moran was murdered, and Elwyn is asking to speak to us”

xoxox

“My Lord, we are here” Francis bowed low, as he and the others who he had lead on the attack stood before Draco.

“Good” He paused “Now – here is what you are going to do......”

xoxox

“Minister – could you come to my office?” Tonks head appeared in Amelia's floo.

“Why?”

“There is something you are going to want to see” Tonks grinned at her, and Amelia frowned in confusion “Just – come. Please?”

“Okay” Tonks' head vanished, and the fire went dark. Amelia stared at it for a moment, then shrugged and walked out of her office, and down to The Director's. When she entered, she found herself face to face with nearly thirty men and women, all bound in anti-apparation manacles. She stared at them for a moment, then turned to Tonks “Director?”

“This is Francis Blocker” Tonks said with a smile “He has come here to confess to leading the attacks last night, and to confirm that the others are the ones who are guilty” She pointed to a collection of wands on the desk “All of the wands match the curses we found at the attack sites, and they have all confessed under veritaserum” Amelia stared at her in surprise, then turned to the leader.

“Why did you come forward?”

“We realised what we did was wrong. That we shouldn't punish the muggles for the crime of The Ministry” Francis replied “And we wanted to make amends to those we killed in your name” Amelia gazed at him for a moment, then walked over to Tonks.

“Are you buying any of this?” She whispered.

“No” Tonks whispered back “But it can't be denied these are the ones responsible for the attacks, whatever their motives for turning themselves in. I say we try them, then send them to Azkaban for a suitable length of time”

“Very well” Amelia stood back, then turned to the prisoners “You will all be held in jail overnight, and tried tomorrow for your crimes. The fact you turned yourselves in – whether for the motives given or some other, as yet unknown reason, will count in your favour, but you should expect to spend a good few years in Azkaban for the murders of the twenty five people you killed” She paused “Of course, if you tell us the real reasons why you turned yourselves in, we might be able to convince the court that you are being even more helpful”

“We have told you the reason, Minister Bones” Francis stared at her coolly “And we have nothing else to say on the matter”

“Fine” She turned back to Tonks “Director – if you would” She took a step back, and watched as Tonks summoned the Aurors to escort the prisoners out. Once they had all gone, she turned back to the Director “So – that's that?”

“So it seems” Tonks shrugged “Even if there's more to it than they are saying, and I am certain there is, we aren't going to get it out of them any time soon. So I suggest we call it quits and declare victory”

“Okay” Amelia nodded, then turned as Percy entered.

“Tim and Abby are in your office, Minister”

“Thank you, Percy” She nodded, then turned back to Tonks “Wish me luck”

xoxox

“Abby!” Elwyn leaped from her seat as Pansy and Andrew walked in to the meeting room. Without thinking, Pansy enfolded the young girl in her arms, and gently stroked her hair “They killed my mum – they killed her in front of me”

“Oh sweetie” Pansy leaned down and kissed her hair “I'm so sorry” She looked up at Amelia “Have you any leads?”

“Actually – we have them all in custody” Amelia replied calmly “They turned themselves in, and confessed. They are on their way to the holding cells. But that's not why I asked to see you” She glanced at Elwyn “Miss Moran has a request”

“El?” Pansy stared down at the young girl, who slowly extracted herself from Pansy's arms.

“My mother and father are dead” The young girl said in a halting voice, trying to control her tears “And there's no one else to take me in” She paused, then stared up at her friend “I was hoping....” She trailed off, then took a deep breath “I was hoping you and Tim would adopt me”

 _(end of act 3)_


	4. A New Beginning

“Why as you asking me about this?” Andy asked. Pansy and Andrew sat opposite him in The Trudeau study “Surely whether you adopt this young girl or not is up to you”

“We'd be bringing her in to The Western Sky” Pansy responded “I mean – we do want to adopt her, but if you think we'd be risking the security of the group.....”

“If she will accept a secrecy spell – a minor one that we can release her from, once she is used to it – then I don't have a problem” He couldn't help grinning as the smiles broke across his friends' faces “I know how much you want children, and I wouldn't want to stand in your way” He stood up “I guess you are going back to The Ministry now?”

“Elwyn is waiting for us” Andrew replied, still smiling “Amelia said she could come home with us tonight, and go back for the adoption proceedings tomorrow” He and Pansy stood up “Thank you, boss – we owe you big time for this”

“Don't worry about it” Andy smirked back “I think seeing you two happy will be enough”

xoxox

“He isn't going to be happy about this” Hermione glanced at the folder in her hands, then stared across her desk at Professor Flitwick.

“Maybe” Filius replied “But of all the people I can think of, he is by far and away the most qualified” He paused “And both Albus and Minerva approached him in the past few months”

“Okay” Hermione held her hands up in surrender “I will invite him to lunch tomorrow, and see what he says” She shook her head “But I wouldn't get your hopes up” She looked back at the file “Harry Potter – come on down”

xoxox

_The Western Sky_

_Staring_

_Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

_with_

_Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

_and_

_Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

Episode 4 : The New Girl

Guest Staring : Filius Flitwick

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

“Minister” Andrew nodded as Amelia came in to the meeting room. He and Pansy were sat side by side, waiting for Elwyn.

“Are you two ready?” Amelia asked. Pansy glanced at her husband, they both transformed themselves in to their Western Sky disguises “I guess that answers that”

“We thought it would be easier to do this this way” Pansy replied with a smile “You realise we will have to put her under a mild spell – until she is used to keeping our secrets”

“You've done that with the other kids?

“At one time or another, yes” Andrew replied “But as they've grown up, they have just got used to not talking about their parents' jobs” He smiled “We assume that Elwyn will get in to the habit as well, but until she does.....”

“You can't take the chance” Amelia nodded “Okay. I will invite her in, then I will leave it up to you how you tell her. Once you are happy, I will bring the adoption papers in, and you can sign them then”

“Thank you” Pansy grinned, then took hold of Andrew's hand, grasping it tightly. Amelia smiled back, then turned and opened the door.

“Miss Moran – if you would come in?” She held the door open as Elwyn walked in and sat down “Tim and Abby have something to discuss with you, Miss Moran. While they do, I will step outside for a few minutes” She turned to Andrew “As I said – once you are done, I will come back”

“Thanks” Pansy nodded distractedly. Amelia repressed a smile, then walked out of the meeting room. When she had closed the door, Pansy turned to Elwyn “So, Elwyn – you know that Tim and I work for a group called The Western Sky”

“Yes” Elwyn nodded “You explained that when you busted The Drawn Wands”

“Well – there is something else we have to tell you” Pansy paused “But before we can tell you, we have to put a minor spell on you”

“A spell?” Elwyn looked over at Andrew, then back to Pansy “What kind of spell?”

“It's a secrecy spell, sweetie” Andrew said softly “All it will do is prevent you from repeating some of what we tell you. There's nothing illegal about it, and The Minister has no problem with us doing it”

“Oh” She paused, then shrugged “Okay”

“Okay we can cast the spell?” Pansy asked, and Elwyn nodded “Sorry sweetie, but you have to agree”

“Oh – sorry” Elwyn giggled “Yes – you can cast the spell” She watched with some interest as Pansy pulled out her wand and chanted a few words.

“Elwyn Moran – do you promise to keep our secrets?” Elwyn stared at her for a moment.

“Yes, I do”

“Okay” Pansy put away her wand, then smiled “The thing is, because The Western Sky work in secret, we have secret identities”

“Like Superman?”

“Yes” Andrew nodded eagerly “Just like Clark Kent and Diana Prince and Penry” Pansy turned to her husband.

“Penry?”

“The mild mannered janitor” Elwyn replied before Andrew could say anything. He turned and smiled at her, causing the young girl to blush slightly “I liked it when I was young”

“Me too” Andrew grinned, then realised Pansy was still staring at them in confusion “But we are getting off the point. In order to protect out friends and families, we appear like this” He gestured to their disguises “When we work. When we are at home, we look like this” He closed his eyes, and transformed back to his normal appearance. A moment later, Pansy did the same.

“Wow” Elwyn simply stared at them.

“And our real names are Pansy and Andrew Wells” Pansy added “Tim and Abby are just codenames”

“Oh” Elwyn's face wrinkled in concentration, then she smiled “So you two are married?”

“Yes” Pansy smiled back, taking Andrew's hand “We work with six other people, all of whom have secret identities as well. This is what the spell is for – it will ensure that you call us by the correct names, and that you don't slip up and reveal anything” She paused, looking intently at the girl “If you want to back out, we will understand. This is a lot for anyone to take in, especially someone as young as you” Elwyn stared at her for a moment, then grinned.

“I don't want to back out. Whether you are Abby or Pansy, you are still the same person” She grinned again “And I still want you to adopt me, if you want to”

“We do” Andrew nodded, then he stood up and walked over to the door “I will be back in a moment - I just have to find Minister Bones” As he closed the door behind him, Elwyn turned back to Pansy.

“Can I call you Aunt Pansy?” She asked hesitantly “I can't call you mum.....” She trailed off, tears forming in her eyes.

“Yes, you may call me Aunt Pansy” Pansy smiled fondly back at her “And when we get home, I will introduce you to the others. There are five kids, all a bit younger than you, and generally they call the other adults Aunt and Uncle” She paused “You okay?”

“No” Elwyn suddenly stood up, walked round the table, and flung herself in to Pansy's arms “I miss my mum”

“Oh sweetie” Pansy leaned down and kissed her hair “I know it's hard” She held the young girl for a few minutes, then looked up as Andrew and Amelia came back in.

“If you are ready?” Amelia asked. Pansy looked down at Elwyn, who wiped her eyes, then nodded. Pansy turned back to Amelia, and nodded. The Minister grinned “Then let's begin”

xoxox

“So here's the thing” Sirius, Andy and Harry were walking through the snow covered front garden in The Compound, waiting for Andrew and Pansy to return “I have been having fun over the past few days – spending time with the kids, catching up with everyone. But....”

“But you want to start pulling your weight?” Andy asked.

“Something like that, yeah” Sirius nodded “I know that sometimes you all go out on a job at once, and I would be happy to babysit during those times, but for the rest of the time, I feel like I am just dead weight” He grinned “If you'll pardon the phrase”

“So – what did you have in mind?” Harry asked “I assume you were thinking more than a handyman?”

“I think I am a tad overqualified for that” Sirius grinned.

“Well – you could join The Western Sky” Andy suggested “I can talk to Viktor, and see if we can get you added to the charter” Sirius looked thoughtful.

“That sounds interesting” He replied “Do you think I could make it though?” He smiled at his nephew “From what Harry tells me, you are the best of the best”

“You taught us Astral Projection, and trained The Order, Uncle Mike” Harry responded “And for the past ten years you've been one of the top-flight Aurors in The DMLE” He grinned “I don't think qualification will be a problem”

“Okay - I will think about it” He saw the looks of surprise on their faces “The thing is - I have been involved in a fair few fights as an Auror, and... well I don't know if Sally told you, but in the fight at The Ministry – when we sent her back to the past - I ended up casting a killing curse at Dumbledore” He shivered “I am not sure I want to be in a position where I might do that again”

“I understand” Harry replied softly “I don't regret killing Snape, but sometimes I wish there had been a different way” He glanced at Andy “Well – if TWS work isn't for you, I am sure we can think of something”

“Hey” They all turned, and found Pansy stood at the front gate of The Compound. She was keeping a tight hold of Elwyn, who looked like she was going to bolt at any moment.

“I guess that's my cue” Harry grinned, then turned and bounded over to the front gate. Pulling it open, he walked out on to the street, causing Elwyn to give a soft “eeep” of surprise.

“Miss Moran – my name is....”

“Harry Potter?” Elwyn stared at him in surprise "THE Harry Potter?"

"Yes" Harry nodded, turning slightly pink "That's me" He leaned over and whispered "You are stood in front of The Compound" then straightened up again. A moment later, Elwyn gasped as the grounds came in to view, then frowned.

"Where are the houses?" She asked, turning to Pansy.

"They are each under their own charms, but if you'd like to come on to the grounds, we can show you around" She took Elwyn's hand, and lead her through the front gates. Harry and Andrew followed, and found that the rest of The Western Sky had come out to great their newest family member. When Elwyn caught site of Sally, she let out another gasp of surprise.

"Sally-Ann Potter?"

"Oh - we have lots of Potters" Pansy grinned. She turned and pointed to Harry. "Here's a Potter" She pointed to Sally "There's a Potter" Then she turned to Ella "And another little Potter" She gestured to the twins "Twice a Potter" Then to Luna "Half A Potter" And finally turned to Tara "Not A Potter"

"DUCK" Andrew yelled. Pansy turned to him.

"Huh?" She asked, but then let out a yell of surprise as a snowball hit her on the chest. She turned and glared at Sally.

"Sorry" Sally grinned, then turned to Elwyn “As you seem to know, my name is Sally-Ann Potter, and I am the secret keeper for The Potter House” She turned to face her house “The Potter House is over there” She pointed, and Elwyn's eyes widened as it came in to view.

“That is so cool” She whispered, but Sally smiled.

“There are three more” She turned and waved Prue, Tara and Andrew over “Elwyn – may I introduce Prue Trudeau and Tara Maclay. You know Andrew, of course” Elwyn giggled and smiled at the new comers.

“Elwyn” Prue said “The Trudeau house is over there” She gestured to her house. A moment later, Tara did the same. Then Andrew took Elwyn's hand and lead her to the steps of his house.

“And this, sweetie, is The Wells House – your new home” He smiled with pride as the house appeared, and Elwyn smiled back “If you'd like to see your new room, we can show you now, and introduce you to the rest of the group later”

“Okay” Elwyn nodded happily. Andrew smiled at her, then turned to the others “Guys – can we save the rest of the introductions for tomorrow? If we have a team meeting at breakfast?” Everyone else nodded, and the group broke up. Pansy walked over to her husband and daughter, and together, they went in to their house.

xoxox

The next morning, after breakfast and a lot of introductions, Harry set off down the road to Hogsmeade. Hermione had been very cagey the night before, when she had invited him for lunch, and hadn't exactly told him why she wanted to see him.

He arrived at The Three Broomsticks, and pushed the door open.

xoxox

“Okay – we have to go to Flourish And Blotts and Madam Malkins” Pansy looked down at Elwyn “So, while we go get you fitted for new robes, Andrew will go off and sort out your books”

“Yes, Aunt Pansy” Elwyn smiled.

“Yes, Aunt Pansy” Andrew added with a grin. Pansy swiped at his arm, then, taking Elwyn's hand, lead her off to the robe shop. Andrew watched them go, then turned and found himself face to face with the potions professor.

“Good morning” Paul smiled “I understand that you will be taking Miss Moran in?”

“I guess good news travels fast” Andrew replied “But yes, we have adopted her after her mother was killed” He glanced over to where Pansy and Elwyn had entered Malkins “She lost a lot of her stuff in the attack, so we decided to come and replace it today, before school starts”

“So she is coming back?” Paul asked, and Andrew nodded “Good. She is a good student, and I would hate to lose her” He paused “I heard that those responsible turned themselves in?”

“Director Tonks mentioned something about that” Andrew replied “But even if they all go to jail for the rest of their lives, it won't bring Andrea back, and it won't help Elwyn get over it any quicker”

“I know” Paul sighed “Anyway – tell Elwyn I am glad she is okay, relatively speaking, and I will see her at the start of term”

“Of course”

xoxox

“You want me to do what?” Harry stared at his best friend in surprise.

“I want you to take over the job of Defence Against The Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry” Hermione smiled “How hard is this to understand?”

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

“Why me?” Harry stared at her “There must be dozens of other candidates who want the job”

“That's true” Hermione admitted “But you are the most qualified, and the best for the job” She paused “I have seen how you've taught Ella, Dora and the twins – you are very good with children” She paused “And your main objections – Dumbledore and McGonagall – are both out of the picture, if you will excuse the phase”

“But what about my other job?” He glanced around, then signalled with his hands. She watched, then looked up again.

“We can work around it. I had a quick chat with Viktor about this, and he seems to think that we can come to some arrangement” Harry stared contemplatively at her for a few moments, then shrugged.

“Okay. I will think about it” He saw her smile “I know – you want someone in place by the start of term, but I have a lot to think about” He paused “I will let you know as soon as.....” He realised Hermione wasn't paying any attention “Min?” He followed her gaze, and realised Sally had come in to the pub. He stood up and pulled a chair out as she arrived, but she waved it away.

“I'm not stopping - I just came to give you this” She handed him a letter “I got one too, and Viktor said that Hermione received one as well” She turned to Min “He got in touch with us when it came – said he would keep it for you when you went home” She turned back as Harry opened it.

“It's an announcement from Gringotts” Harry said “We've been invited to the reading of the will of Albus Dumbledore”

xoxox

Elwyn stared at Ella and Dora in surprise.

“Any magic?” She asked “Any magic at all?”

“Any magic at all” Dora nodded with a smile “The wards were put up to ensure our parents wouldn't be found by anyone, so they cover up any magic that we do”

“My parents say that the wards are better than Hogwarts” Ella grinned proudly.

“So if I wanted to practice my lessons, and do magic outside of school?” Elwyn glanced between them.

“You can” Ella nodded “The Ministry won't be able to detect you while you are inside the ward boundaries” She gave Dora a sly smile, then turned back to Elwyn “In fact – if you want to practice now, we have an idea what you could do......”

xoxox

“This is the reading of The Will of Albus Dumbledore” Grimfist looked around the room “The private reading was carried out the day after his death, as was dictated by his position in the wizarding community. However, there were additional clauses that necessitated this public reading” He looked around “Can you please introduce yourselves, and explain why you are here”

“My name is Arthur Weasley, and this is my wife Molly. We are here on behalf of our daughter Ginevra, who is out of the country at the moment and can't attend”

“My name is Hermione Krum-Black, and this is my husband Viktor. We were requested to come here” She paused “I was also asked to bring a message”

“From whom?”

“Harry and Sally-Ann Potter” Hermione replied “If you check your records, you will see they were also requested to come”

“And the message?”

“Given their past relationship with Professor Dumbledore, they can't think of a single thing he would have that they would want, nor a single thing he could say that would they would want to hear. And as such, they are forced to decline the invitation to this reading” She paused “That's pretty much it” She heard Molly give an audible sniff of disgust, but decided to ignore it.

“Very well” Grimfist nodded “I will make a note of that” He looked around “If there is nothing else, we will start” When no one spoke, he picked up a parchment “I will only read the portions of the will that relate to this hearing”

“Firstly, to Harry James Potter and Sally-Ann Perks, I leave a number of documents from my personal archives. My hope is that, by reading these papers, you will come to understand why I did what I did, and the reasons for my behaviour towards you during your early life, and school years. I also hope that you will come to accept that what I did, I did for the good of everybody, including yourselves” Grimfist paused and looked up “As Mr and Mrs Potter have declined to attend, I will ensure the collection of documents are forwarded to their vault” He saw Hermione open her mouth, but held his hand up “What they do with the documents is up to them. They can leave them there, they can read them – they can set them on fire for all I care. But they have to go somewhere”

“I will inform them” Hermione nodded “But don't expect them to come running to read them” There was another sniff from the Weasley side of the table, but Hermione stared straight ahead.

“I won't” Grimfist replied, then looked down at the parchment “To Hermione Krum, I leave a number of artefacts from my person collection. I believe that, of all the people I know, you will find the most use for these, and get the most out of this gift” Grimfist looked across the table at her “I can either transfer these to your vault, or give them to you now?”

“Would it be possible to transfer them to my office at Hogwarts?” Hermione asked “As I will be spending a fair portion of my time there, I think that would be the best place”

“I will arrange it when we are done” He smiled at her, then looked down “Finally, to Ginevra Molly Weasley, I leave the sum of 25,000 galleons” He heard Molly gasp in surprise “Although I can never truly make up for my mistakes in regard to you, Miss Weasley, I hope that this goes some way to making amends for the way I attempted to manipulate you when you were younger, and for my failure to protect you persecution after your fourth year at Hogwarts. I am truly sorry for all the discomfort I caused you, and I hope that you can forgive me for not standing up to those who hounded you out of Hogwarts, and out of the country” He looked at Arthur “I can arrange for the money to be transferred to your daughter's vault, if that is acceptable?”

“It is” Arthur nodded, and Molly smiled.

“This then concludes the reading of the appropriate portions of the will” Grimfist put the parchment down on the desk “Thank you all for coming” He gave a single nod, then turned and walked out of the room, leaving Hermione and Viktor staring across the table at Arthur and Molly.

xoxox

Pansy and Prue walked through Hogsmeade, returning from a shopping trip for the start of school.

“So – how's she doing?” Prue asked.

“I think she's okay” Pansy replied “I mean – she is still dealing with the death of her mother, and that she has lost the last of her family – but I think she is getting used to living here, and fitting in with the others” She looked up as they turned the corner, then both stopped, staring up at the new addition to the skyline of their home.

“Is that.... Cinderella's Castle?” Prue asked.

“Seems to be” Pansy replied.

“So - I guess she is fitting in” Prue sighed “And I think Andy and I need to have another word with our daughter......”

xoxox

“Mr Weasley – before I go, I just wanted to thank you for backing my appointment” Hermione smiled at the older man.

“You're welcome” Arthur replied “I know that we haven't always seen eye to eye, especially in regards to Professor Dumbledore's policies, but I honestly believe you are the best choice to educate the next generation”

“Thanks” Hermione smiled “And I will try to do my best to fulfil that promise” She glanced at her husband “Shall we go?” He nodded and stood up.

“Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley” He nodded, then took his wife's hand, and walked towards the door, but Molly's voice stopped them before they reached it.

“Miss Granger” Hermione turned and faced the Weasley matriarch.

“Yes, Mrs Weasley?”

“Why is it when you have forgiven Professor Dumbledore for what you think he did wrong, Potter and Perks don't seem to be able to want to make the same effort?” Hermione gazed at her for a moment, then walked back and sat down opposite her.

“Mrs Weasley - I am not sure why Harry and Sally's behaviour is any of your business, and I am equally sure it is not my place to speak for them” She paused “However, I think you are labouring under a misapprehension in regard to my feelings about Professor Dumbledore”

xoxox

“Elwyn”

“Yes, Aunt Pansy?”

“Did you by any chance create a huge magical castle in the middle of the lawn?”

“Yes, Aunt Pansy”

“Why?” Pansy watched her daughter, and suppressed a smile when the young girl gave a slight glance at the other two girls who were stood there, then looked back.

“Because I wanted to surprise you and Uncle Andrew by showing you how much I'd learned since you left Hogwarts” She smiled “I wanted you to be impressed with me, so you wouldn't change your mind”

“Is that the only reason?” Pansy asked softly.

“Yes” Elwyn replied, but Ella and Dora both spoke up.

“It was us, Aunty Pansy” Dora said, and Ella nodded.

“You?” Prue asked in mock surprise, and Dora blushed. She saw Sally walking towards from The Potter House.

“Has my daughter been improvising again?” She asked with a smile.

“We talked her in to it” Ella said, and Dora nodded in agreement “We knew she had a wand, so we convinced her to create a castle for us” They both glanced across at Elwyn “Sorry”

“That's alright” Elwyn said, then turned to Pansy “It is good though, isn't it?”

xoxox

“What do you mean?” Arthur asked “I thought that, when you agreed to take the DaDa position that you had forgiven Albus for what he did in the past?”

“As I said, I am only speaking for myself, but no - I didn't forgive him” Hermione replied “If I granted him forgiveness, it would mean I thought what he did was okay, and I am never going to accept that” She paused “However I was willing to leave the past in the past, and work with him as Headmaster” She shrugged “As long as we stayed clear of the topic of the Second War and the events that lead up to it, we didn't have any problems”

“So you think Albus was wrong?” Molly asked “That trying give Harry and loving and safe environment was a mistake?”

“Sirius Black loved Harry more than his own life” Hermione said flatly “And the only times he was hurt was while he was under Dumbledore's protection at Hogwarts” She sighed “He tried to take Harry away from the safest place in the world, and hand him over to people who would hate him. And not once did he apologise, or even hint that he might have been mistaken” She paused, then sighed “Mrs Weasley - I put Dumbledore's actions in the past a long time ago, and I have no desire to dredge them up again” She smiled “So – lets agree to disagree, and we will be on our way”

“Of course” Arthur stood up “And, since I don't think I have mentioned this yet, congratulations on the birth of your son”

“Thank you” Viktor flushed with pride, then took Hermione's hand “We will see you around”

xoxox

“So I am not allowed to do magic?” Elwyn asked.

“No” Pansy said.

“Yes” Andrew said. The two adults looked at each other in surprise.

“What we mean” Pansy continued “Is that you can do magic, but only under adult supervision. You can do your homework, and maybe some extra learning, but no more castles, okay?”

“Yes Aunty” Elwyn smiled.

“Okay” Andrew nodded, then, glancing at his wife, added “There's something else we need to discuss”

“We've talked to Headmistress Krum, and she has granted you special dispensation to come home at weekends for the Spring Term, if you want” Pansy said “Andrew and I talked, and we are willing to leave it up to you” Elwyn stared at them for a moment, then nodded.

“If it's okay with you” She said hesitantly “I think I'll stay in school” She saw them nod “It's not that I don't want to come home, but.....”

“But you don't want to stand out at school” Andrew smiled “Don't worry – we understand” He paused “You really created that castle, all on your own?”

xoxox

“So – do you think they know?” Viktor asked as he and Hermione walked through Diagon Alley.

“The truth?” Hermione responded “No. If they knew what really happened, they would be spouting it all over the news”

“So they are covering up?”

“I don't know. Either they know she is missing, and don't want to admit it” Hermione glanced around the street “Or she told them she was going abroad when she decided to cast her little spell”

“Either way, they get the money” Viktor gave a slight smirk “Not that I want to speak ill of a fellow Head of House, of course”

“Of course” Hermione grinned back.

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

 _A new enemy comes in to town_

Luna and Tara are fighting a vampire in Hogsmeade.

 _Which brings with it some old friends_

Xander and Dawn are sat in the lounge of The Wells House, facing Andy, Prue, Andrew and Pansy.

 _And a threat to The Western Sky's future_

Harry, Sally and Hermione are standing with wands drawn, facing Willow, who has a fireball in each hand.

 _Find out what happens in "Shadows Of The Past", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

“Well hewwo my widdle cutie!” Harry smiled as his wife's voice floated through to the study.

“I guess Minnie and Vik have arrived” He closed the file on his desk, locked it away in his desk, then stood up and walked across to the lounge “Hey guys” He glanced at Sally, but she was entirely focused on Robert “Would you like a drink or anything?”

“No thanks” Viktor replied, and Hermione shook her head “We just came over to tell you about Dumbledore's will” He grinned as both Harry and Sally let out a small sigh “And.....” He trailed off, glancing at his wife.

“And I wanted to ask you about the job” She said with a wry smile “Since you have been so forth coming about it in the past few days” Harry stared at her for a moment, then smiled.

“So – tell me about the will”

xoxox

“Professor Flitwick” Paul shouted down the hall, and then sped up as the diminutive Charms professor stopped and turned to face him “Professor – thank you for stopping”

“It's not a problem” Flitwick nodded “How may I be of assistance to you this fine day?”

“I was wondering....” He glanced around “As Deputy Headmaster, you help Headmistress Krum with staff appointments and reviews?”

“Yes” Flitwick nodded “Was there something you wanted to discuss about your last review?”

“No” Paul shook his head “I was wondering if the post of Defence Professor has been filled” Before Flitwick could reply, he continued “I mean - I know it hasn't been announced to the public, but I was wondering if I could maybe apply?”

“I can put your name forward, Paul, but I wouldn't get your hopes up” Flitwick watched the younger professor's reaction, then put a hand on his shoulder “The Headmistress already has a candidate in mind, and she believes he is the best person for the job”

“So I don't have a chance?” The Charms professor paused, then shrugged.

“If her first choice falls through, she will have to look for a replacement” He replied “But I think that you are doing a good job where you are Paul, and that for the time being you can do a lot more good as the Potions Professor than in Defence”

xoxox

Harry and Sally stared in disbelief at their friends. Hermione simply stared back, while Viktor occasionally rocked Robert's carry-cot back and forth.

“Twenty five thousand galleons and a grovelling apology” Sally said after a while “I am not sure which I find more offensive” She turned back to Hermione “But Arthur and Molly seemed to be covering for her?”

“I am not sure” Hermione shrugged “It's possible that when she decided to cast her spell, she told them she was going out of the country”

“But it's also possible that they have no idea where she is” Viktor continued “And they are covering for her absence, because they wanted the money”

“And it is equally possible they knew exactly what she was doing, and are now trying to cover it up” Sally said, but then Harry and Hermione both shook their heads “Why not?”

“If it was just Molly, I would agree it was a possibility” Hermione said “She is a scheming, grasping malicious bitch, and I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her”

“But?”

“But Arthur is a good man” Harry said, and Hermione nodded.

“He would never allow his daughter to do this” She continued “The idea that he could be involved in the murder of twelve children, and the complete re-writing of history......” She shook her head “He would find the idea abhorrent, and....” She shrugged “I honestly think he would kill his daughter before he allowed her to do this”

“But he forgave her for cursing me” Sally replied “If he could do that, why don't you think he could do this?”

“He didn't know about that” Harry took his wife's hands “She did it alone, without telling anyone”

“So you believe if he had known about that, he would have stopped her?”

“Yes” Harry and Hermione replied together, then Hermione continued “He is a decent man, and if he had any idea of what Ginny did, he would be round here apologising for it” She paused “Well – not round here, since he couldn't find his way in, but you get the idea”

“I notice he didn't mind taking the twenty five thousand though” Sally gave them a grin.

“I think that was more Molly than Arthur” Viktor replied with an equal grin “Plus if Dumbledore says that Ginny deserves something for what he put her through, Arthur would probably not want to argue – especially as it is Dumbledore's dying wish, so to speak”

“I suppose” Sally shrugged “So have you seen the things he gave you?”

“I had a quick look at them before we came her” Hermione nodded “Some of them are fairly ordinary, if you will excuse the phrase, but there are one or two truly fascinating examples of early magical craftsmanship” She grinned “I think some of them come from the time of the founders themselves – there is a scrying bowl that seems to have been created by Rowena Ravenclaw herself” She realised that Harry and Sally were staring at her with smiles on their faces “What?”

“Do you realise that you were bouncing up and down slightly when you were telling us that?” Sally asked, still smiling. Hermione stared at her, then turned to Viktor, who nodded.

“Oh” She paused “Well what can I say? I am a history nut, and these items.....” She trailed off “These are the definition of history” She paused “Which could also be said about the documents that are now in your vault”

xoxox

“Molly – this is becoming serious” Arthur sat down opposite his wife at their kitchen table “We haven't heard from her in nearly three months”

“You worry too much, honey” Molly smiled “Her last owl said that she was going to explore the outback, and that she would be out of touch for a while” She glanced down at the parchment in front of her “If you want, we can send another owl, and inform her of what Professor Dumbledore's will said, and see what her response is”

“I suppose” Arthur replied “But you didn't see her before she left Molly – she was nervous about something” He paused “And I have had reports about a young witch with red-hair frequenting Knockturn and Periodic Alleys. Reports that she had been seen buying..... suspicious items”

“Do you have so little regard for your daughter that you think she would visit such low places?” Molly stared at him in disbelief “Ginny is a good girl” Arthur gazed back at her with a level look “Okay – so she made one mistake, ten years ago. Are you going to hold that against her for the rest of her life?”

“No” He shook his head “No - I suppose not” He paused, then sighed “I just want her to get in touch – to know she is alright”

xoxox

“Is there any way we can set them on fire remotely?” Sally asked with a grin “I mean – without risking burning down the entire bank?”

“Not so much” Viktor replied with a laugh “And even if you could, there is the small matter of starting a Goblin Rebellion which would plunge the entire country in to war and probably lead to more deaths than you can possibly imagine” He paused “On the whole - I think The ICW would prefer it if you didn't”

“Okay” Harry nodded “No Goblin wars for us” He paused “How about if we go and set them on fire ourselves.......” He trailed off “No – that seems like too much work” He shrugged “I suppose it won't do any harm to leave them there” He saw Hermione wrinkle her brow “Min?”

“It's nothing” Harry continued to stare at her “Seriously – it's nothing” He continued to stare at her “Okay – okay” She waved her hands in submission “I understand why you don't want to read them, and I am not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do”

“But?”

“But do you remember when Dumbledore tried to use legilimency on Luna, back in our fifth year?” She glanced at Sally “I think it was the time I caught Harry kissing another girl....”

“Oh yes – black-haired Sally” She grinned, then morphed in to her other form “This does bring back memories”

“Quite” Harry grinned, then turned back to Hermione “You were saying?”

“The next day Luna mentioned something about Dumbledore – about him and Tom Riddle” Hermione continued.

“Dreams that suggested Dumbledore knew about Tom's activities – knew who he was becoming” Sally nodded “That he let Riddle turn in to Voldemort, and did nothing to stop it”

“I remember” Harry's voice was serious “But I thought she said she couldn't be sure”

“She couldn't” Hermione replied “But now you have what seems to be the life history of Dumbledore in your vault” She fell silent, watching her two friends. Harry glanced across at Sally, who shrugged. He smiled, then turned back to Hermione and shook his head “I thought as much, but, just cause I am curious, what's your reasoning?”

“Despite what he did to us, he is still fairly well beloved in the magical community” Harry said softly “You said yourself that Arthur Weasley was a good man, but he still remains loyal to Dumbledore's memory. The same is true for the majority of our world”

“If we showed them definitive proof that Dumbledore had a hand in the creation of the most evil Dark Lord in recent history, it would be catastrophic” Sally continued “At best, it would topple the government and cause chaos to the country”

“That's the best outcome?” Viktor asked in surprise “What's the worst?”

“Civil war” Hermione replied “One that would make a Goblin Rebellion seem like a walk in the park” She shrugged “It's pretty much what I thought” Harry smiled fondly at her, then glanced at Sally. She thought for a moment, then nodded.

“You know – if you want to read them, you can” He smiled “I know you won't publish them, or hand them to anyone else, and I wouldn't want to deny you the chance to read about history in the making” He saw Sally smirk.

“Yes – well, I admit it would be interesting” She shrugged “But on the whole, I think the world is better off not knowing. And so am I” She shook her head “Let his secrets stay buried in the past, where they belong”

xoxox

“I can't join you” Sirius sat facing Andrew, Andy and Prue “I mean - I am flattered by the offer, and I did consider it, but I don't think it is for me”

“Why?” Andy asked.

“I have been out of this world for too long” Sirius sighed “I don't know enough about the political landscape to be part of a group that works around it” He paused, then added “And I don't want to be part of a group that can use unforgivables at will” He saw the look of surprise on their faces “Sorry – that came out wrong”

“I think I understand” Andy smiled.

“Up until the battle in The Execution Chamber, I had never used one of the unforgivables against anyone – even during the last Dark War” Sirius stared at the table as he spoke “And even though I knew there was no other way, I can't forget the look on Dumbledore's face when I cursed him” He shivered “I don't want to be in a position where I could do it again”

“I don't suppose knowing that we have only had to use them once would help?” Pansy asked.

“Surprisingly, it doesn't” He smiled at her “And while I am not saying that you will ever have to use them again, I don't want to be in a position where I have to chose” He paused “Because in that second where I stop to think about it, I could get any one of you killed” There were a few moments silence, then Andy nodded.

“All right” He said with a smile “So – you won't be joining us” He paused, then asked “So what are you going to do?”

xoxox

“I can't join you” Harry said, facing Hermione. Before she could reply, he continued “I am flattered by the offer, but my work with The Western Sky is too important, and I can't let anything get in the way of it”

“We could schedule around you” Hermione replied, but Harry shook his head.

“And when an emergency comes up, and I am in class?” He asked “The things we do – sometimes it is the smallest difference that separates life from death, and if I am not there, or arrive late.....” He trailed off as Sally slipped her hand in to his “I don't want to let you down, but I really think this is for the best”

“And then there is Marchbanks to think about” Sally continued “If Harry keeps vanishing every time The Western Sky swing in to action, someone – probably a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin – is going to notice, and they will make the connection”

“And then they will tell Marchbanks” Viktor finished her sentence “I see your point” He turned to Hermione “So, my love, I guess you will have to put an advertisement in The Prophet after all?”

“Not necessarily” They all turned to see Andy stood at the door.

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, then her eyes widened “You're not applying for the job, are you?”

“Oh god no” Andy laughed “I can't imagine anyone worse for the job” He paused “Well – maybe I can. But that's not the point”

“So – who?” Viktor asked.

xoxox

“Sally, Harry – can we have a word?” Luna and Tara sat down opposite their friends, then glanced at each other for a moment. When, after a few second, neither of them spoke, Harry smiled.

“Marsupial”

“Pardon?” Luna stared at him in surprise.

“You said you wanted a word” He shrugged “Marsupial is as good as any” He realised that Tara was now also staring at him as if he was crazy “So – how can we help you?”

“We were wondering about the documents Dumbledore left” Tara said, glancing at her partner “I know that you two are not going to read them, and Hermione has also said she won't”

“But you want to?” Sally asked curiously “Why?” She glanced at Luna “Is this because of what happened in your fourth year?”

“What?” Luna frowned, then her eyes lit up with understanding “Oh that – no” She paused “To tell you the truth, I had completely forgotten about that”

“So why do you want to read them?” Harry asked.

“Because of the file we found on his desk” Luna replied “The one about the wolf, the dear and the ram”

“If Ella's future holds true, it's about three years until the first portal opens” Tara continued “That's all the time we have to find these wizards, and deal with them”

“Since Dumbledore seems to know something about them” Luna said “We were wondering if he might know more than we know he knows”

“And you think it would be in the stuff he left us?” Sally asked. Both women nodded “Well - I don't have any objections. Do you honey?”

“None whatsoever” Harry replied with a smile “Would you like to go tomorrow?” Luna and Tara exchanged glances, then nodded “Okay – we can go after breakfast” He paused “Maybe make it a morning out for the kids as well, if that's okay with you?” Sally nodded, but Tara looked puzzled “Tara? What's wrong?”

“Aren't you going to Hogwarts to take over as DaDa Professor?” She asked, and Harry shook his head.

“I decided against it” He replied.

“Was Minnie upset?” Luna asked.

“Not as much as you'd think” Sally smirked “Since we managed to find her a suitable replacement”

“Who?”

xoxox

“Thank you all for coming” Hermione stood at the front of the staff room “Since we start back in two days, I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce the newest member of our happy band” She paused, then grinned “May I present our new Defence Against The Dark Arts Professor – Professor Richard Wayne” She turned and smiled as the new teacher walked up beside her.

“Please – call me Rick” Sirius smiled.

 _(end of act 3)_


	5. Shadows Of The Past

Willow Rosenberg stared across the table at her mentor and friend, then she sighed.

"I really thought we were done with this, Rupert"

"As did I, Willow" Giles sighed in response "When Sunnydale was destroyed, I had hoped that it was the last of the Hellmouths"

"Seems we were wrong" She glanced at the map "Is there any possibility we can keep this quiet? Deal with it before it becomes a problem?"

"I don't know" He shrugged "It's right next to a large town, and there is also a school about two miles away" He sighed again "This could be an utter disaster" He looked up, and realised Willow was smiling "What?"

"Doesn't Andrew live near there? And doesn't he have a group of friends who deal with unusual problems?"

"Do you think he's ready to deal with a Hellmouth?" Giles frowned "This isn't every day stuff"

"There's one way to find out" Willow grinned at him.

xoxox

"So - did you enjoy the show?" Luna took Tara's hand as they walked through Hogsmeade.

"Yes, thank you" Tara grinned "The lead singer was really impressive" She paused "Do you have your wand?" Luna frowned at the non-sequitur.

"Yes" She pulled it out.

"Can you conjure a wooden stake?"

"Probably"

"Good - can you aim it at that?" Luna looked where Tara was pointing, and saw a vampire staring back down the street at them.

"There's one way to find out"

xoxox

 _The Western Sky_   


  
_Staring_   


  
_Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._   


  
_with_   


  
_Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_   


  
_and_   


  
_Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_   


Episode 5 : Shadows Of The Past

 _Guest Staring : Filius Flitwick, Dawn Summers, Alexander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, Kennedy Jackson with Buffy Summers and Rupert Giles_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

"A vampire? Seriously?" Prue stared at Luna and Tara "A vampire in Hogsmeade?"

"We really aren't kidding" Tara smiled, then turned to Andy "We thought you should know, just in case this isn't a isolated incident"

"You think it could be a nest?" Andy raised his eyebrows in surprise "This close to Hogwarts? I would've thought they'd be scared off by the power the school gives out"

"Do you think we should talk to Min?" Luna asked "If there's a possibility of a nest near the school...."

"I will do it tomorrow" Andy nodded "As Fred, not as me. I will also talk to Minister Bones as well, just in case we need any support to clean the nest" He paused "You should get some sleep ladies - you've had a busy day"

"If you want us to come with you to talk to Min or The Minister, just ask" Luna stood up and pulled Tara to her feet.

"Thanks" Andy smiled "And seriously - you two did very well tonight. You should be proud of yourself" They both blushed, bowed, then turned and walked out of the room. Andy watched them go, then turned to Prue.

"Do you think we should possibly contact The Watchers? If there is a vampire problem, it is more their area than ours"

"I can get on it tomorrow" She said with a smile "Do you think I should take Andrew with me? Since he met with them last time?"

"Ask him, but don't insist" Andy replied, then paused "But if we bring in The Watchers, then we will have to do something about Tara"

"Give her a vacation?" Prue grinned "They've been working hard since we returned, and I'm sure they'd enjoy the time off"

"I'll see what they say" He grinned back, then glanced at his watch "So - you coming to bed?"

xoxox

"Good morning - how may I help you?"

"We're here to see..... GILES!" The man behind the reception desk took a step back as the young woman let out a yell of delight.

"Dawn - nice to see you" Giles gave a nod to the man behind the desk, then took Dawn's arm and guided her towards the stairs "Did you enjoy your holiday?"

"Alex and I had a nice time, yes" Dawn grinned "And, since you probably didn't want to know, he and I had quite a lot of sex while we were away"

"DAWN!" Giles turned and glared at her "If I didn't want to know about your sister's..... extra-curricular activities I certainly don't want to know about yours and Xander's!"

"I know" She smirked at him "That's why I told you" She smirked again, then glanced up the stairs "So - whatcha got for me and The X-Man? A mission that will require a long time laying on a sunny beach somewhere? Or - oh - a vampire posing as a bellboy in one of the more swanky hotels?"

"A trip to Scotland" Giles replied with a smile as he walked up the stairs.

"Scotland?" Dawn frowned "In the middle of Winter?" She paused "Won't it be really cold?"

"Will it?" Giles raised his eyebrows in surprise "I hadn't thought of that" He gave her a sly glance, then turned and looked straight ahead "Perhaps you can use all that sex you are having to keep warm" He let out a slight smirk as Dawn missed a step and tripped.

"GILES!"

xoxox

"You want me to go on holiday?" Tara stared at Andy and Prue in surprise.

"You, Luna and LJ. Paid vacation for the next month or so" Prue nodded with a grin "You can go where you want - back to Florida, even to Sunnydale Lagoon"

"Or you can go explore Europe - see Paris, Rome - the romantic cities" Andy continued "I'm sure Luna wouldn't mind, and it would be a very good learning experience for LJ" Tara glanced between them, then smiled.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the vampire we killed?" She asked with a slight grin "And the fact that you have told The Watchers' Council about it?" Andy shrugged.

"Even if they don't send Mr Giles to deal with the problem, there are good odds he will hear about it" He nodded "And about the cute blonde woman named Tara McClay who bares a remarkable resemblance to another cute blonde woman he knew"

"On the whole, we think it best if you weren't here, simply so that your secret is protected" Prue added "It's not that we want you to run and hide, but...." She paused "What we've heard about The Watchers' Council - some of their methods and previous operations" She shrugged "If they find out you're not dead, I have no idea what they might do, given how involved you were with The Slayer"

"Can we protect my identity?" Tara looked over at Andy "A glamour? Polyjuice?"

"You realise we're offering you a free holiday?" Prue grinned "That you can stay out of the way while we fight the vampires? That you can take your wife and son on a once in a life-time trip around the most romantic and culturally fascinating cities in the world?" Tara grinned in response, and nodded.

"I know - and don't think I am not incredibly grateful" She replied "But how many of you have experience in fighting vampires? Andrew aside, have any of you really come up against a vampire clan?" She watched as they both nodded - conceding her point "And while I admit Andrew is not as easy a mark as he used to be, I suspect you will need all the help you can get"

"Okay" Andy nodded "We'll work something up - an undetectable glamour, combined with polyjuice potion, to ensure that a simple, cursory examination won't reveal anything" He paused "You do realise that we can't guard against every alternative, and that there is still a risk if you are around?"

"I do realise that, yes" Tara nodded "But if I put my own..... well - I can't put my own safety above the groups" She smiled softly "It's just not right"

xoxox

"So you want me and Xander to go to Scotland, because you think a new Hellmouth is forming?" Dawn stared at Giles and her sister with a slight look of disbelief "Is this because I got ketchup on your best jumper?"

"I thought that was blood" Buffy frowned at her.

"Yes - sorry. Blood. Not ketchup" Dawn said quickly "Forget about the blood"

"Gladly" Giles said with a sigh "Now - if we can get back on to the topic at hand?" Both Summers women nodded "We believe a new Hellmouth might have become uncovered in the town of Hogsmeade. It's a tiny village in the north of Scotland, and is close to Hogwarts School"

"Hogwarts?" Dawn glanced at Buffy "I haven't heard of that"

"It's a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry" Buffy replied "They teach magical people how to use their powers - the spells, potions and so on"

"Cool" Dawn looked thoughtful, then gave a slight chuckle "Do Hellmouths form near schools for a reason? Or is this just co-incidence?"

"We hope the latter" Giles smiled back "But anyway - we'd like you and Xander to go and look around for a day or two, and Buffy, Willow and I will join you later"

"Why not all go at once?"

"Kennedy and I are in the middle of training" Buffy replied "We should be done in about two days, but the new batch of potentials..... sorry - the new group of Slayers need to finish their training before we send them out in to the field" She paused "Willow wants to wait for Kennedy - it seems that she has got used to Kennedy grounding her during any major magic, and she doesn't want to go to a Hellmouth without her"

"And there is a little research I want to finish up" Giles continued "So, for the moment, it will just be you and Xander"

"Swell" Dawn rolled her eyes "What if we find anything that goes bump in the night?"

"Deal with it if you can, otherwise let us know" Buffy said, then, when Dawn's eyes widened in surprise "You're not a kid any more Dawn - we trust you to be able to take care of yourself"

"Cool" Dawn grinned again, then looked around "Where is my honey-bun?"

"One Bunny-hun Present and Accounted for" A voice came from the door, and all three of them turned to see Xander leaning against the wall "So - we get a holiday?"

"More or less" Buffy nodded "Although we want you to look around, we also want you to try to find a young woman named Luna Lovegood"

"The same Luna who came to see Giles last year?" Xander nodded "Makes sense"

"She's friends with Andrew, and the two of them are part of a group that deals with unusual magical events" Giles continued "So, we want to sound her out about getting help with The Hellmouth, if possible"

"We'll do our best" Dawn replied, and Xander nodded in agreement "So - can we go now?" She glanced at Xander "I have something I want to discuss with.... Triple X" She let out a laugh as both Giles and Buffy got slightly nauseated looks on their faces "Well - my work here is done!"

xoxox

"Are you sure we should go out today?" Luna glanced out of the window.

"It's daytime, sweetie" Tara smiled "As a rule, you don't see a lot of vampires out when the sun is up"

"That's not what I meant" Luna swatted at her arm "What if we run in to The Watchers' Council? They might have sent someone here already...."

"Does that really sound like The Council we know and love?" Tara grinned at her "Seriously - the biggest worry we have is what we get Harry and Sally for the Founding Day Party"

"If you're sure" Luna said softly "But....."

"But what?"

"I think we should be prepared - just in case" Tara stared at her for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay" She smiled "I'll be careful"

xoxox

"Is that who I think it is?" Luna asked, pointing up the street to where a young couple were staring in to a shop window in rapt fascination.

"If you think it is Xander Harris and Dawn Summers, then yeah - that's pretty much who it is" Tara nodded, trying not to grin at the look on her wife's face. Luna turned, caught sight of her wife's expression, then rolled her eyes.

"So - do you want to say 'I told you so' now or later?"

xoxox

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

"ANDY!" Tara amplified her voice and it echoed through The Compound, forcing LJ to cover his ears. She waited a few moments, then yelled again.

A few moments later, the doors to the other three houses opened, and a number of people poured out in to the garden, staring at Tara - who was still in disguise. A fact she remembered when she found herself facing six wands, all pointed at her heart.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Andy?" Harry asked. Tara waved her hand, and the glamour fell.

"Sorry - I forgot the disguise" She waved it off "Dawn and Xander - friends of mine from the old days - are in Hogsmeade, and Luna will be bringing them here in about ten minutes" She glanced at her watch "Nine and a half minutes even" She turned to Andy "They are who they say they are - I would recognise Dawn's magical essence anywhere - and they say they are here on behalf of The Watchers' Council, and whatever they have to discuss is very important - much more than a simple vampire problem"

"So you want to bring them here? In to The Compound?"

"I think it would be best - if they are here with a major problem, we don't want it discussed out in the open" She paused "They also said Giles, and probably The Slayer would be here in one or two days time" She paused "And, if the problem is as serious as they say, Willow will come with them"

"Ah" Prue nodded, then smirked "That whole vacation idea is looking better and better, isn't it?"

"Maybe" Tara returned the grin "Oh - by the way" She waved her hand again, and brought up the glamour "This is Susan Corwin, wife and mother" She shrugged "It's the name Lu gave to Xander and Dawn, so I thought we should stick with it"

"Seems like a plan" Harry nodded, then glanced toward the gate "And I think that would be my cue" He looked around "If anyone has any objections, make them now" He paused, and when no one responded, he walked over to the gate, and opened it up. He walked outside for a few moments, then came back with Luna, Dawn and Xander.

"Welcome to The Compound" He said "Home of The Western Sky"

xoxox

"So - what do we do now?" Andy asked. Xander and Dawn had explained the situation, and what The Watcher's Council was planning on doing about it.

"Are you able to talk to The Ministry?" Dawn asked, leaning forward.

"More or less" Andy nodded with a smile, then held his hand up as both Xander and Dawn opened their mouths "The Western Sky is not affiliated with The Ministry, or with Hogwarts, but Minister Bones and Headmistress Krum-Black both trust us enough to accept our advice on all this"

"Cool" Xander grinned "Giles, Buffy, Wil and Kennedy should be here tomorrow, and we can make our move first thing on Wednesday morning" He paused "Will Hogwarts still be open then?" Harry nodded "Then I suggest you get the Headmistress to call out the guard"

"I thought vampires couldn't come out in sunlight?" Sally asked, glancing at Andrew.

"That's partly true" Dawn replied, and Andrew nodded "But it's direct sunlight, and...." She gestured out the window to a completely overcast sky.

"The wonders of British Weather" Prue smirked "So you're afraid that the vampires will swarm out, head for the school?" Both Xander and Dawn nodded "Okay - we will ensure Min locks down the school, and ask Amelia if she can provide extra protection for the students"

"Good" Xander nodded again, then, with a quick glance at Dawn, he continued "We have one more favour to ask...."

"Okay" Andy gestured for him to carry on.

"Closing a Hellmouth is incredibly hard, and while we think we know how to do it, we need to borrow three more witches or wizards" Xander looked around "Willow is by far and away the most powerful witch I have ever met, but she can't do this on her own, and we don't have anyone else who is both powerful and disciplined enough"

"Luna and I should be able to do it" Tara said, glancing at her wife. Luna nodded, then turned to Prue.

"How about it, Prue? Ready for some real magic?"

"Always, but I do have one question" Prue turned back to Xander and Dawn "What do you mean by disciplined?"

"The magic we use is refined" Luna said before their visitors could respond "Powerful, but diluted. Even the magic around Hogwarts and The Department Of Mysteries is still relatively..... weak"

"Compared to?"

"Compared to what I would call Ancient Magic" Luna continued "The magic that comes from the earth, from all around us. The magic that is the source of all the other magic in the world" She paused, taking a breath "And, though I can't say for sure - having never encountered one - I am guessing the magic that surrounds a portal to hell would be wildfire magic in the extreme"

"To say the least" Dawn smiled.

"You're worried we'll be.... consumed?" Prue asked, frowning.

"A few years back, Willow became fascinated with wild magic, then she became addicted" Xander said seriously "It almost destroyed her.... and all of her friends" He reached out and took Dawn's hand "We'd rather not put you through that as well" The three witches exchanged a series of glances, then Prue turned back.

"We know it's dangerous, but compared to letting this Hellmouth open, right next to Hogwarts...." She trailed off, then shook her head "We'll do it"

xoxox

 

"I take it this is urgent?" Amelia looked up as Andy, Prue, Xander and Dawn walked in to her office. Before they'd left The Compound, Andy had explained their relationship with The Ministry, and the necessity of the disguises when they were in public.

"Yes, Minister" Andy nodded "We have good reason to believe that a Hellmouth is going to open up in Hogsmeade within the week, and we wanted to tell you we are going to deal with it, but we need two full tactical squads of Aurors, one to patrol the town and one to strengthen the security of Hogwarts" When Amelia opened her mouth to reply, Andy continued "We'll have Professor Krum-Black's full backing for the Auror presence by the end of the afternoon"

"That's not what I was going to ask, but thank you" Amelia smiled "So if I may ask, what's a Hellmouth?"

"A portal to hell" Dawn said swiftly "Full of vampires, demons and monsters the likes of which you can't imagine" Amelia turned to face her.

"And you are?"

"Sorry, Amelia" Andy blushed "This is Alexander Harris and Dawn Summers, members of The Watchers' Council, and temporarily seconded to The Western Sky until we can be sure the world won't be overrun with vampires"

"It's nice to meet you" Amelia nodded, then turned back to Andy "This Hellmouth - it's as dangerous as she says?"

"If anything, she underplayed it" Andy smiled grimly "Amelia - we're have to close it, but it will take all of our combined efforts. We can't provide any support for the town or the school, and I'm sure you can imagine what just a dozen vampires could do if they got loose inside Hogwarts" Amelia shivered as the images played through her mind.

"Okay. I will talk to Director Tonks, and ensure that two squads are available by lunch time tomorrow" She paused "Any tips on magically killing vampires?"

"Fire spells, decapitation...." Dawn started, then frowned "Can you produce pre-blessed water?"

"Probably not, no" Amelia shook her head.

"Then fire and decapitation should do it" Dawn smiled "And if you could conjure a supply of wooden stakes for each of the Aurors, that would be helpful as well"

"I'll see to it" Amelia stood up "Any other advice?"

xoxox

"You need to find a priest" Tara said with a slight smile.

"A priest?" Hermione stared at her curiously.

"Before it was used as a school, Hogwarts was a fully operational castle, right?"

"Yes" Hermione nodded, then her eyes widened "You want to use the boiling oil cauldrons?"

"If you're being swarmed by an army of vampires, you're going to need whatever you can get your hands on" Andrew replied "A tidal wave of holy water will stop the vampires, but not hurt anyone else" He paused "Pansy tells me there magical creatures in the forest - do you think they would help?"

"Maybe" Hermione paused "The merpeople wouldn't be able to do anything, but I can talk to The Acromantulas and Centaurs - if they can protect our perimeter, that would be a start" She paused, then let out a short laugh "But don't hold your breath"

"Fair enough" Tara nodded "If it makes you feel better, this is only fall back planning. We intend to seal The Hellmouth and prevent any vampires escaping, so you shouldn't need any of these plans"

"But better safe than sorry?" Hermione asked with a grin, and Tara nodded "Okay. I will ensure the school is locked down tomorrow night, and that no one leaves the grounds before then"

"Good" Andrew nodded "Then, if you'll excuse us, we should be going - Xander and Dawn will be back soon, and Tara has to get back to her other persona"

"How's that going?" Hermione looked over at Tara.

"So far it's just torture" Tara sighed "Which, compared to what's coming, is a walk in the park"

"I suppose closing the Hellmouth...."

"No" Tara shook her head "Not that"

"Then what?"

xoxox

"Mr Giles, Miss Summers" Andy nodded politely as he walked down the streets with his guests "Are Miss Rosenberg and Miss Jackson coming along later?"

"They are just picking up extra supplies in your Diagon Alley" Buffy replied "How's it doing today?" She continued, glancing round the town.

"No more vampires since the first attack" Andy smiled "And Luna and Susan seem to think it is in remission for the moment"

"Excellent" Giles clapped his hands together, then looked at Andy "Is there space for us in your Compound? Can we stay there tonight?"

"Of course" Andy nodded "Harry will read you in to The Compound Fidelius, and then we'll find rooms for you in the houses" He glanced at Buffy "Will you and Miss Jackson be patrolling?"

"Probably best, yes" Buffy nodded "It'll give Willow time to work with Luna and Susan to get the spell just right" She paused "Your government...."

"The Ministry" Andy supplied.

"....they know about us? I mean - if I am caught beating the life out of a vampire, they won't try to curse me or kill me?"

"Amelia and Tonks know, and by the time Miss Rosenberg...."

"Willow and Kennedy" Giles grinned "And this is Buffy and I am Giles"

"And by the time Willow and Kennedy arrive, they will have pictures of all of you, and although there will be Aurors on duty tonight, they won't interfere with your duties" Andy smiled "If I'm honest, I think they'll be glad to have two Slayers on duty"

"Always nice to be loved" Buffy returned his smile, then looked around "What's with the lack of electric lights?"

xoxox

The next morning, during breakfast in The Great Hall, the students were very surprised to see two dozen Aurors striding in to the hall, followed by Director Tonks.

"Headmistress - it's time" Tonks said in a calm voice. Hermione nodded once, then stood up.

"If I could have your attention?" She spoke in a quiet voice, but the entire hall fell silent at once "In about half an hour, The Western Sky, in conjunction with a group from The Watcher's Council, will be attempting to prevent a portal to hell opening in Hogsmeade. Due to the danger this poses, I am locking down the castle until they are finished. All classes are cancelled, and you are to return to your common rooms, where you will spend the day" She looked around "You are not to leave them under any circumstances, unless directed to by a member of staff. Anyone found outside of their common room will be expelled" She resisted the urge to grin at the looks her students were now exchanging "Director - if you are going, you should go now"

"Yes, Headmistress" Tonks nodded, then turned and walked out of the hall.

"Everyone else - this should take no more than an hour, but as I said - you must stay in your common room until otherwise directed" She paused "That's all. Prefects - please take all your students back to your common rooms"

As the children started to file out, Hermione turned to Professor Flitwick.

"Filius - if you want to observe the spells, you may"

"You don't want to go?" Flitwick asked in surprise.

"I would love to, but my place is here, and if things go badly, I will need to be here to protect the castle"

"Of course" Flitwick paused, then smiled "Then, if I may, I would choose to remain as well" He grinned at the expression on her face "They are my children to, Min, and I won't leave them - not even to see a Hellmouth closed"

"Thank you" She leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek "Now - lets get this place sorted out"

xoxox

Giles looked at the group, then turned to Andy.

"Fred - I believe this is your show" Andy nodded, then took a deep breath.

"Samantha, Sabrina, Willow, Mabel - you four are going to be closing the Hellmouth. Buffy, Kennedy, Gilbert, Director - you are going along as protection. Pick your protectee, and stick with them - I mean it" He paused "You stay by their side, until the job is done, or you, or she, dies" Harry and the three women nodded.

"Everyone else, ten yard intervals along the tunnel. If something gets past you, let them go, and the next person will stop them. Do not leave your position unless the tunnel is collapsing, or on fire" Everyone else nodded "I can't stress this enough - the closure of the Hellmouth and the protection of Hogsmeade and the school is of paramount importance, even above any individual life" He paused to let everyone take this in, then grinned "So - lets go"

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

(A series of short clips flash up on the screen)

Harry and Prue, made out of Lego, both have lightsabres and are are fighting Stormtroopers.

Sally is firing blasts of lightening from her hands as Andy sword-fights with a dark figure.

Andrew is watching as Luna swings across a large pit with a dancing rabbit at the bottom.

Harry and Prue are both fighting with a dark, robed figure.

Sally is throwing fireballs at a giant troll, while Andy is shooting at a werewolf.

Andrew and Luna, dressed in space suits, running away from a giant, floating chainsaw.

 _Find out what happens in "The Games We Play", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

Harry drew his wand in a single swift motion, moved in front of Tara - absently noticing that Luna and Prue had both done the same - and ran through the last few minutes in his mind.

The spell to seal The Hellmouth had worked perfectly, and the portal to hell was fully closed. But then the dampening field that had been the main contingent of the sealing spell had expanded exponentially, wiping out all the spells in the cavern.

Including, he realised, the glamours covering Prue, Tara, Luna and himself.

Which would, he sighed, explain why Willow was stood facing Tara, looking more furious than he had ever seen anyone look, and holding a fireball in each hand.

"WHO ARE THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE TARA?" Willow bellowed, while Buffy and Kennedy stared in confusion. Tonks was glancing between the two sides, wand in hand.

"Wil...." Tara started, but Willow threw a fireball at her.

"PROTEGO!" Harry and Luna shouted in unison, and the fireball reflected off the shield, and crashed in to the roof.

"TELL ME!" Willow took a step forward, and Harry turned to Luna.

"Get her out of here - now" He said firmly, and a second later, Luna and Tara vanished, leaving him and Prue facing Willow.

"Willow - we can explain" Prue said calmly, hands still raised in front of her "If you give us a chance...."

"WHY DOES SHE LOOK LIKE TARA?" Willow yelled again raising her hand.

"BECAUSE SHE IS TARA!" Harry bellowed back, causing Willow to drop her hands, and Buffy and Kennedy to look even more confused "As Prue said, we can explain if you let us"

"Tara...." Willow stared at him blankly.

"We will explain everything, Willow, I promise, but we really should get out of here" He looked around "The Ministry are going to seal the cavern when we're out, and we really should let them get started" He lowered his wand, and held out his hand to Willow "Shall we?"

xoxox

"Oh god - she's never going to forgive me" Tara was pacing back and forth across their lounge, while Luna merely watched "I could've told her, I could've...."

"No, you couldn't" Luna reached out and stopped her in her tracks "She thought you were dead. If you had gone back, it would have caused mayhem and chaos beyond reason, and you know it"

"But....."

"But nothing" Luna shook her head "We knew this was the potential for this to happen. With you, with Andy and with Prue. Right now, Harry and Prue are talking Willow down, and I have no doubt she will be here in a moment, and we can explain everything to her and the rest of The Scoobies"

"What if she's still mad?" Tara asked, her voice filled with fear.

"Then I'll protect you" Luna smiled, and kissed her softly.

xoxox

"Tara's alive?" Xander shook his head in disbelief as the group walked through Hogsmeade towards The Compound "Seriously?"

"Yes" Prue nodded.

"How...."

"We'll explain that when we get back" Prue replied, then glanced at Sally "Are Amelia and Tonks taking care of...."

"They said they would ensure the Aurors will keep quiet" Sally paused "I didn't really want to ask what they meant by that"

"But Andy, Tara and I won't be in trouble?"

"You're secret is safe" Sally grinned "And no one outside of The Scooby Gang and The Western Sky will know who we are either"

"I hadn't even thought about that" Prue shook her head "Could this get any worse?"

"The Hellmouth could have exploded, flooding the world with vampires, demons and the forces of darkness" Buffy said from behind them, causing Prue, Harry and Sally to turn to face her "I'm just saying"

xoxox

"Here's how this will work" Andy stood in the grounds of The Compound, facing The Scooby Gang, while Harry, Sally, Prue and Andrew stood behind him "You - all of you - can come in and talk to Tara, but you won't be able to do it in private. If it looks like you're going to get angry, try to attack her, or us, we will take steps to defend ourselves"

"And by steps you mean....." Xander asked.

"The Compound wards are under our direct control" Andy replied with a slight smile "We can put you back on Hogsmeade main street before you know you've moved, and this time we will stop you from getting back in" He paused "Don't get me wrong - we're grateful you warned us about The Hellmouth, and that you let us help close it, but if you so much as blink at Tara the wrong way....."

"We get it" Buffy held up her hands "We promise we won't hurt her" She glanced across at Willow, who nodded sheepishly.

"I overreacted. It won't happen again" She said softly "It was just..... a surprise" Andy glanced across at Harry and Sally, who both nodded.

"Very well" He turned and started walking towards Andrew and Pansy's house. They'd both agreed to let them use that house, while the children and other members were protected in Luna and Tara's place.

xoxox

"Ready?" Luna looked at her beloved. Tara paused, then nodded. Luna smiled, then pulled the door open, and watched as, one by one, the various members of The Scooby Gang filed in, followed by Harry, Sally and Prue.

"Andy and Andrew have gone to talk to the kids - to let them know everything's okay" Prue said when Luna looked confused "And to strengthen the wards a little, just in case the sealing spell doesn't stick"

"You doubt my work?" Tara asked with a grin, which faded when she turned to face Willow "Hey sweetie"

"You look well" Willow looked her up and down "Better than I would've thought"

"I guess I should explain what happened" Tara took a deep breath.

"You mean how you let me think you were dead, let me go on a killing rampage that almost cost me my soul, not to mention the fact I almost destroyed the world....." She stopped as Tara held her hands up.

"I know" She said softly, tears filling her eyes "I know - it probably could have gone better" She paused "But I didn't have a choice"

"It's true" Sally said from behind them, and Willow and Buffy turned to face her "Our only condition for rescuing her was that she could not tell anyone she was alive" She paused "Admittedly, we didn't know the effect Tara's departure would have, but our rules are sacrosanct - we can't break them"

"Even for the end of the world?" Buffy raised her eyebrows curiously.

"If we'd known in advance, we probably wouldn't have saved her" Sally replied, noting that Tara nodded "The end of the world is one thing, but dealing with cause and effect...." She paused "Anyway - it wasn't Tara's choice to lie to you, Willow - it was mine"

"Ours" Harry added.

"It was ours" Sally corrected "But I'll let her tell you the rest" Tara smiled at her gratefully, then turned back to Willow.

"Here's the thing....."

 **_flashback_ **

"Think they're making up?" Willow stared down at the back garden of Buffy's house.

"I hope so" Tara smiled softly, then turned to face her girlfriend "That's the best part" She felt the sun warming her hair, then frowned as she heard a number of small pings. A split second later, she heard the sound of glass shattering.

Then the entire world stopped.

She remained still for a few moments, then turned, and her mouth fell open in surprise. A bullet was hanging in the air, and the shards of glass she had heard breaking a few seconds earlier were hanging in the air, completely motionless.

Turning back, she found Willow looking at her, a look of sheer joy frozen on her face. She reached out her hand, then stopped as a voice came from the door.

"You probably shouldn't do that" A young, blonde woman said with a smile "It can interfere with the spell and cause major nightmares for the person involved"

"What?" Tara dropped her hand, and stared at the young woman in front of her.

"The power it takes to freeze time is not inconsiderable, even with Prue's help, and if you touch someone who is frozen, it disrupts the spell a little" The blonde woman glanced at Willow's frozen form "She would become aware of what's going on, but on a very subconscious level. It will give her nightmares for months, if not forever" She shrugged "So - don't touch her"

"Who are you?" Tara turned, raising her hand again "And what have you done to Willow?"

"My name is Sally-Anne Potter-Black" Sally smiled "And we've temporarily taken Willow, Alexander and Buffy out of time so that we can talk to you" She turned and pointed to the window "That bullet was going to kill you. It would blast your chest out, covering your girlfriend with blood and gore"

"But you stopped it?"

"Yes" Sally nodded, then took a deep breath "A friend of ours is.... sensitive to the future"

"Psychic?" Tara frowned "Really?"

"Not exactly" Sally sighed "I can explain all of this later, but for the moment I'll just say she has occasional flashes, and we've learned to listen to them" She paused as Tara nodded "She told us it was important for us to come here today, and to give you a choice..... of sorts" She blushed slightly.

"Of sorts?"

"If you agree, we'll create a duplicate of you. That will get shot, and Willow, Buffy and the others will believe you are dead" Sally said seriously.

"And then what?"

"Then we would like you to come and work with us - we are forming a.... detective agency, of sorts, and we think you'll fit in very well" Tara paused for a few moments.

"If I don't agree?" Sally purposefully glanced at the bullet, still hanging in mid-air, then back at Tara "Oh"

 **_end flashback_ **

Willow turned to stare at Sally, her eyes filled with hate. Harry slowly withdrew his wand, then lowered it as Sally waved him away, not looking away from the red-head now glaring at her.

"You call that a choice?" Willow asked, voice full of venom "You save her life, then tell her that if she doesn't do what you want, you will kill her?"

"I know - it sucks" Sally replied calmly "But if Tara hadn't got in the way of the bullet, it would have hit you, and that would have altered history beyond anything you could imagine" She glanced over at Tara, who nodded "Yes, it wasn't fair. Yes, I put her on the spot. Yes - I was an utter bitch for doing it" She paused, then shrugged "I didn't have a choice" Willow stared at her for a moment longer, then turned back to Tara.

"Five years" Willow said softly "You've let me think you were dead for five years"

"I know" Tara replied quietly "But if I'd turned up the year after, what would you have thought?"

"That The First was screwing with us" Buffy said understandingly, and Tara nodded.

"You moved on, sweetie" She grinned at Kennedy "You found someone - someone you have fallen in love with" She reached out and took Luna's hand "I did too"

"You knew about...." Willow narrowed her eyes "How did you know about Kennedy and me?" Tara turned to Harry and Sally, who both nodded.

"The year after I left, we came back to watch the fall of Sunnydale" Tara kept her gaze on Willow "We wanted to make sure none of the uber-vamps got loose" She paused "I'm sorry about Anya"

"Thank you" Xander replied with a soft smile "And let me guess - you couldn't save her because of the situation?"

"I really wish we could have" Harry nodded apologetically "But stopping a single death in a single room is one thing, while interfering with the apocalypse....." He shrugged, but before he could continue Giles suddenly let out an exclamation of surprise.

"Prue Halliwell?" Everyone turned to stare at him "You're Prudence Halliwell?" Prue nodded, biting her lip at what she knew was coming next "Sister to Piper and Phoebe, and daughter of Patricia?" Prue nodded again, this time looking resigned.

"The Prue Halliwell?" Dawn stared at her with a look of awe on her face, causing Prue to blush bright red "Wow"

"After they'd saved Andy two years earlier, they came back for me when Shax came for us" Prue, still blushing, spoke to Giles "I got to keep my Charmed powers, but once Paige was inducted, I lost my status as a part of The Power Of Three"

"A Charmed One?" Willow's eyes went wide with surprise, but Harry held up his hand.

"We obviously have a lot more to tell you, and you are all invited to stay for tea and to spend the evening so we will have time for a full explanation, but...." He glanced at Willow "No offence, Miss Rosenberg, but are you..... I mean..."

"Am I going to flip out, go mental and kill you all?" She asked, causing Harry to blush.

"I wouldn't quite have put it like that, but basically, yes"

"No - I'm not going to slaughter you all with gay abandon" She grinned "Or even with straight abandon" She turned to Harry and Sally "I know I overreacted in the chamber, and I am really sorry, but I was taken by surprise..."

"Don't worry about it" Sally held up her hand "And, with Tara's blessing, we'll call it settled" Tara nodded "Very well - I'll let the others know, and then you can all catch up"

xoxox

"You'll keep in touch?" Tara and Willow were sat on the front porch of Tara's house, staring out at the grounds.

"Of course" Tara nodded "I've missed you, sweetie, and though I might not have picked these exact circumstances to meet up again, I can't say I'm unhappy about it" They both looked down the garden again, to where Luna and Kennedy were talking intently "They seem to be getting on well"

"To say the last" Willow paused "Does it worry you as much as it does me?"

"Oh yeah" Tara nodded with a smirk.

xoxox

"Another crisis dealt with" Harry pulled off his shirt as Sally pulled the t-shirt she slept in over her head "Do you think we should think about doing this professionally?"

"Maybe" Sally replied as she threw the covers back "But I think we should at least wait until the kids grow up - they'd miss us"

"Unless we bring Aunty Dawn and Uncle Alex in to babysit - they seem quite taken with our little brood"

"They don't have to be around for the tantrums and accidental magic" Sally rolled her eyes "Lets see how much they'd love them after their hair is turned blue"

"True" Harry climbed in to bed next to her, and pulled the covers up "But still - The Hellmouth is closed, and we can breath for another day"

"And one day more is all we need" Sally returned his smile "But I'm glad Tara and Willow made up - I know she's felt bad about the way she left it"

"True" He paused "Do you think we should try the same thing with Prue and her sisters?"

"Oh good god no" Sally snorted in disbelief "I don't think I could stand another day like today"

xoxox

"It's time" The two women looked at each other "You have to go now, if you are to stop him"

"I just wish I could tell them" The second woman sighed "I wish we didn't have to put them through this without them knowing why"

"I know - I don't like it either" The first woman paused "On the bright side, they might be thankful when we're done" She paused again "Assuming, that is, they survive"

 _(end of act 3)_


	6. The Games We Play, Part I

Prue blinked a few times, then sat up, looking around.

"Prue?" She turned, then her mouth fell open in surprise as she looked at Harry.

"Harry?" She looked him up and down, and realised he was doing the same to her.

"Prue.... where are we? And.... why are we made out of lego?"

xoxox

Andrew sat up and looked around, then frowned in recognition.

"What the hell am I doing here?" He asked.

xoxox

Luna took a few steps along the beach, then stopped as she saw a rope apparently dangling from mid-air.

"I guess I'm not in Kansas any more" She said to herself.

xoxox

"Bloody hell" Andy took a step back as the wolf lunged at him. Sally patted her pockets down, then - realising she didn't have a wand, but apparently she did have a sword, pull it from its scabbard and swung it towards the attacking creature.

She connected with its leg, and it took a step back. She pulled back from another swing, but then jumped back herself as a blast of lightening struck the wolf, killing it dead. She turned to see Andy staring at his hands in utter surprise.

"Well....." She started then shrugged "There's something you don't see every day"

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 6 : The Games We Play, Part I_

 _Guest Staring : Teresa, Thag, Entera, Maria, Melinda_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

"Point me Western Sky" Luna threw a ball of light up in the air, and a moment later, it went off towards the large wall "Typical" She rolled her eyes, then walked towards the rope, swinging freely in the air "You couldn't have picked someone who was... I don't know - less athletic than me?" She paused, then smirked "Of course not - there is no one less athletic than me" She looked up at the rope, then took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing" Taking two steps back, she ran forward and jumped.

xoxox

"Willy's mansion" Andrew was sat on the edge of the bath, still looking around "I am in Jet Set Willy's mansion" He jumped to his feet, and walked over to the tap end of the bath. He sighed as he realised it was glowing. He continued to stare at it for a moment, then reached out and took it.

"BING!" A noise echoed through the room, and the tap vanished.

"Oh..... wonderful" He sighed again.

xoxox

"To sum up, we're in a strange world"

"Yes"

"That seems to have two suns"

"Yes"

"We don't know how we got here"

"True"

"And I seem to be able to fire lightening, fire, tornadoes, swords and bursts of purple light that might do something but might just look pretty, out of my hand"

"Seems to be the case" Andy stared at Sally for a moment.

"We're screwed"

"To say the least" Sally grinned "But since I know you're not the type to sit around moping, I'm guessing you have a plan"

"I have a plan to have a plan" Andy returned her smile "And it involves that signpost over there" He pointed to a wooden sign in the distance.

"You can read that from here?" Her eyes widened, then she shook her head "Never mind" He laughed, then they stood up and walked towards the sign.

Five minutes later, they looked up at it.

"Bowerstone North or Darkwood Forest" Sally turned to Andy "I vote Bowerstone"

"Seconded" He nodded, then groaned.

"What?"

"Twenty seven miles" He sighed "This is going to take a while"

"Maybe" She looked speculatively at him "There might be a way round it, but I don't know if it will work in this world"

"I'm willing to give it a try" He shrugged "What've you got?"

xoxox

"TWOING!" Harry and Prue looked round as a ringing noise filled the air, then stared at the ground they had just walked over.

"That wasn't there before, was it?" Prue asked, staring a little lego flower.

"No" Harry shook his head, then took a step to his left.

"TWOING!" Another flower appeared, but this time they saw two little blue dots fly up in to the air, and vanish.

"Well - okay" Harry shook his head, then looked around "Any ideas?"

"See if we can make any more flowers appear?" Prue suggested, then, with a slight grin at him, she ran forward, bounding over the grass.

"TWOING!TWOING!TWOING!TWOING!TWOING!" Five flowers sprung up, and more blue dots flew in to the sky. Harry watched them, then his mouth fell open as he saw where they were going.

"Harry?" Prue turned to see him staring in to the sky. She followed his gaze, and a moment later, her mouth fell open as well.

xoxox

Luna stared down at the beach, then at the rope, then replayed the last few seconds in her head.

She'd run forward, jumped towards the rope and then, to her great surprise, swung gracefully up and flipped backwards on to the wall, landing perfectly.

She continued to stare at the rope for a few minutes, then shrugged, and turned to follow the bouncing ball of light up the path in to a garden.

xoxox

"Holy crap, I had forgotten how much I hate that" Andy dropped Sally's hand as they apparated in to a small clearing.

"It's better with two mages" Sally admitted, then stared up at the city wall in front of them "Bowerstone North, I presume"

"A more wretched hive of scum and villany you not find" Andy said in a quite intense voice, causing Sally to burst in to laughter "Sorry - just thought I should break the tension" He looked towards the gate, guarded by two men in armour "Shall we?"

"We shall!"

xoxox

"Five down, one hundred and forty five to go" Andrew sighed as he picked up a glowing beer mug "This would be a lot easier if magic was working" He paused, then turned as he heard a noise behind him.

"Oh wonderful" He stared at the razor blade, rotating wildly in the air. A second later, it started towards him.

"Oh crap" He threw himself to the floor as it flew over his head, then ran towards the nearest doorway.

xoxox

"A thermometer. In the air" Prue continued to stare up in disbelief.

"If you think that's odd, wait till you see this" Harry replied, and Prue turned to find him holding a beam of pure green light, extending out from his hand.

"You have a lightsabre?" She asked in surprise, then frowned, glanced down at her belt "I have a lightsabre?" She pulled it out and ignited it in a flash of red.

"Somehow, I am even more confused" He put the blade back in his belt, then looked around "I think there's a path we could follow"

"Where?"

"Over there....." He gestured in to the distance, then stopped as part of a building blew up "Oh crap"

xoxox

Luna took a step to the side as a giant cookie bounced up and down in front of her. She raised her hand lazily, and sent the cookie crashing in to the wall, where it shattered, sending crumbs everywhere.

She turned and looked at the ball of light.

"I blame you for this, you know" She said. The ball merely hung in the air, and didn't respond "Oh be like that then. Come on - take me to Andrew" The ball bobbed twice, then moved off through the room.

xoxox

"I'm not imagining it, am I?" Andy asked, looking around. Sally stared at him in confusion for a second, then shook her head "Sal?"

"Deja vu" She replied, then glanced up the road "And no - you're not imagining it" They had arrived in the town a few minutes earlier, and, as they walked towards the main square, they realised every person they walked passed was staring at them "More deja vu" Andy raised his eyebrows questioningly "Even now - after ten years - the looks on some people's faces when they recognise Harry and me...." She sighed "But at least I knew what that was for" She gestured to another group they were passing "I've got no idea why they seem to love us"

"We could always find out" Andy grinned, gesturing to the town square just ahead of them.

"Nah - that's too easy" Sally shook her head with a smile "How about we get something to eat, and see what happens" Before Andy could reply, his stomach let out a loud gurgle "Well - I think that's settled" She reached out and took his hand, pulling him along towards the pub.

xoxox

"This is kind of fun" Harry grinned as he swung his lightsabre at the side of a building.

After a few minutes of panic, when he'd realised he could blow buildings up with a wave of his hand, Prue had pointed out the studs shooting up in to the sky. They'd considered the various ramifications of destroying an entire town for a few moments, then together, they'd pulled out their lightsabres, and started whacking them against anything they could find.

"TWACK!" Harry turned at the surprising noise, then burst out laughing as a stream of curses flew from Prue's lips.

"PRUDENCE CORDELIA HALLIWELL! You kiss your daughter with that mouth?" He called out, causing her to blush.

"Sorry" She poked her lightsabre against the wall "But this doesn't want to break, and I smacked my hand against it" Harry bounded over to her side, taking her hand and looking it at.

"Velus" He said softly, and a moment later the bruise that was starting to turn purple vanished "Better?"

"Yes, thank you" She smiled, then glanced at the wall that wouldn't come down "What do you think?"

"Try waving your hand" He suggested, taking a step back. When he was behind her, she pointed at the wall, then pulled her hand back. A second later, the wall collapsed "Go Prue!" He smirked.

"Okay - I think we need to talk" She said, glancing around "We can control things with our hands - far more so than normal"

"Yes"

"And we have what I can only describe as lightsabres" She waved her weapon.

"Also true" She paused then sighed.

"We're Jedi, aren't we?" He paused, then shrugged.

"There might be another explanation" He said hopefully.

"Normally I'd agree, but there's something else" She pointed over his shoulder. He turned, then let out a stream of curses as colourful as Prue's had been.

"HARRY VIVIAN POTTER! You kiss my husband with that mouth?"

"Well - just the once, and we were both kind of drunk" Harry replied.

"Exactly!" Prue nodded, then frowned "Wait... what?"

xoxox

"So Andrew should be through this door?" Luna asked the ball. It bobbed up and down twice, which Luna took to mean 'yes'.

"Thank you" She took a deep breath, but before she could reach for the door, it flew open, and Andrew came charging out.

"Luna. Hi. Run!"

xoxox

Andy pushed his plate away, then leaned back in his chair.

"Nice food" He said conversationally "For a pub" Sally grinned, then they turned as a little girl walked up to the table.

"Excuse me - could I have your autograph?" They stared at her for a moment.

"Sure" Sally nodded, taking the card off the girl and signing it with a flourish.

"Thank you!" The girl bounced away excitedly, and Sally turned back to Andy, who was smiling at her.

"Why would a girl you don't know, and had never met, want your autograph?" He asked, still looking amused.

"I have no idea" Sally admitted.

"I do" A voice came from behind them "My name is Teresa, and I believe you have been searching for me"

xoxox

"Think they'll be friendly?" Prue and Harry were crouched behind a lego car, watching the Storm troopers search the area"

"We're wearing Jedi robes, Prue" Harry sighed "From what I remember, The Empire is not a great fan of the Jedi"

"So we should avoid being seen?" Harry nodded "Okay" She looked over the car again then froze "Harry..."

"Yes?"

"That whole hiding thing?"

"Yes?"

"It's not going to work as well as we hoped" He looked over the car to find every storm trooper pointing their blasters at them.

"Oh dear"

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

Andrew sat down on the floor, and leaned back against the wall. Luna sat down next to him and closed her eyes.

"So we're in Willy's Mansion?" She asked, eyes still closed.

"Apparently so"

"You know I have no idea who that is, right?" Andrew laughed, and turned to face the blonde woman.

"It was a video game in the early eighties" He said, a slight smile coming in to his eyes "You play a character named Miner Willy, who has to collect one hundred and fifty items from his mansion, then visit your wife who will let you go to bed"

"Sounds.... dull" Luna stared at him.

"Imagine you're not magical, and don't have many friends" Andrew blushed "It kept me company through a lot of lonely nights"

"Ah" Luna smiled sympathetically "So we have to collect a hundred and fifty things?" Andrew nodded and clicked his fingers. A moment later, the number thirty three appeared in shiny letters above them "What do they look like?"

"Taps, beer mugs, lightbulbs..." He shrugged "Anything that shines...." He trailed off as Luna put her head in her hand "What?"

"I walked past around twenty of them on my way to find you" She sighed "I didn't know what they were...."

"Don't worry about it" He gave her a hug "How could you've known?"

"Still...." She got to her feet "So - lets go" He stared up at her "What?"

"Aren't you curious how we ended up here?" He asked curiously.

"A little" She admitted "And as to why we're here, and not say Harry or Tara"

"But...."

"But we aren't going to find out sitting around here" She held out her hand, and pulled him to his feet "The sooner we get to one hundred and fifty, the quicker we can find out who did this, and why"

"Now I see why you get paid the big bucks" Andrew grinned "Metaphorically speaking of course"

"Of course" Luna grinned back "So - where next?"

xoxox

"Five hundred years ago, the realm of Albion was in danger like never before. A mage by the name of Jack Of Blades was trying to use the power of the ancient kingdom to take control of the realm, but was eventually stopped by The Hero of Oakvale"

"Another mage?"

"A great warrior" Teresa smiled fondly "Using sword, bow and magic, he defeated Jack, and brought peace back to the realm" She paused "If only for a little while"

"Jack came back?" Andy asked.

"No - something far more insidious" Teresa sighed "During the final battle, The Guild of Heroes was burned to the ground, and The Guildmaster slaughtered" She shivered "It marked the start of the dark times. The loss of The Guild meant that new heroes went untrained, and more importantly unguided in how to use their powers responsibly"

"Oh dear" Sally shook her head sympathetically "Rogue wizards and witches. Never ends well"

"They started abusing their power, and their position, until, around two hundred and fifty years after The Guild fell, the people of Albion rebelled against them, and killed every hero they could find" Teresa closed her eyes "Ever since then, the ones that escaped have lived in hiding, not advertising their powers, and all the new born heroes have tended to enter less.... troubling professions" She paused, then stared at them "Until now" She gazed at Sally and Andy.

"US?" Andy said after a moment "We're.... we're heroes?"

"You carry swords and pistols, and yet you can both use powerful magic"

"And that makes us heroes" Sally nodded, and Andy did the same "But since you seem to know about..... us" She paused, and Teresa nodded "Could you tell us what we're meant to do next?"

"I can make a few suggestions, but I think the first thing you should do is about to become obvious" Teresa smiled.

"It is?" Andy frowned "How?" Before Teresa could reply, the sound of screaming came from outside "Why do I even ask?" He rolled his eyes "I bet no one else is having problems like this"

xoxox

Harry and Prue and stood, back to back, lightsabres raised, fending off hundreds of blaster bolts.

"Well - this is bracing" Harry deflected a bolt in to a wall, shattering it.

"It is kind of fun" Prue admitted, swinging her lightsabre in a wide arc, sending three bolts in to a tree.

"But we should probably be going" He glanced up, not noticing that his hands continued to adjust their positions so the blaster bolts still ricocheted away "Looks like we've got about.... a thousand or so to go?"

"Then lets do it" Prue took a step forward, curving her lightsabre upwards, decapitating three Stormtroopers. A second later, she swung again, and four more fell down.

"Good shot" Harry smiled, then waved his hand and sent another two flying, then span round and decapitated the last one standing "So - you ready to go?"

"Not quite....." She sighed, gesturing to the far side of the town, where another phalanx of Stormtroopers was heading towards them "Want to try the direct approach?"

"Count on it" He grinned, then, moving in complete unison, they raised their weapons, and charged across the grass.

xoxox

"Tell me something" Luna looked around "When Willy bought this place, did he look around it first?"

"I couldn't say" Andrew shrugged "Why?"

"Because, as a rule, if a house has floating chainsaws in it, not to mention giant floating demon heads, I'd think twice before signing my name on the lease" She peered round the corner of the pew they were hiding behind "Are you sure we need that candle?"

"We could move on to the next lot, but do you really want to get to the bedroom and find yourself one candle short?"

"Surprisingly, you're not the first person to ask me that" Luna smirked at him "How's your passive magic?"

"Passive...."

"Invisibility, cloaking - spells like that" She glanced round the pew again, then looked back at him.

"Pretty good" He smiled, then tapped her twice on the head with the back of his hand "Like so"

"I'm invisible?" She glanced at her hands.

"More like..... unnoticeable" He tapped himself "As long as we don't draw attention to ourselves, they should ignore us"

"Should?"

"I've never dealt with video-game sprites turned in to real live monsters before" He grinned "For all I know we can't affect what we do without breaking in to the game memory"

"I crushed a cookie with a banishing spell before" Luna said in an off-hand manner, causing Andrew to stare at her in disbelief "Did I not mention that?"

"Must have slipped your mind" He replied "But I feel better about my spell"

"And thus my work here is done" Luna grinned, then added "Well - relatively speaking" She glanced round the pew, took a deep breath then - with a muttered "Here goes nothing" - she stood up.

xoxox

"Bandits" Teresa spat "Low-life scum who prey on the weak and the vulnerable" She turned to Andy and Sally "The town guard can only do so much - this is a larger raid than normal"

"You think we should stop them?" Sally looked across at Andy, who smiled softly.

"We are the good guys" He reached over his shoulder and drew the katana from its sheath "Ready, Mrs P?" Sally returned the smile, then raised her hands.

"Ready, Mr T" She paused, then giggled "Sorry - I can't call you that with a straight face"

"You don't think I could do B.A?" He replied, then shook his head "Oh for a different phrasing" He rolled his eyes as Sally burst out laughing "Come on - lets go before they torch the town"

"Yes, sir!" Sally ripped off a perfect salute, then they both turned and charged across the town square to where the bandit party was attacking.

xoxox

"Bloody hell" Harry threw himself to the ground as a large plasma bolt shot over his head "When did they get an AT-AT?"

"Just after we wiped out the first three phalanxes?" Prue suggested, hiding behind a wall.

"Oh yeah" He grinned to himself "So what do we do about it?"

"Lightsabre deflection won't cut it?" Harry looked round, just in time to see the AT-AT blast another house in to smithereens "Never mind" He winced as another building exploded.

"We can't stay here forever" Prue looked round the wall "It's coming this way, and I suspect it's coming for us"

"You don't say" Harry paused, then closed his eyes and held up his hand "Lumos" He smiled as he felt his hand warm up "I have an idea"

xoxox

"Andrew, you are a genius" Luna and Andrew walked slowly through a room that he had identified as the pantry. Three large, bouncy looking creatures were walking around, but so far hadn't seen either of them.

"I have been told so" He smiled, then walked towards one of the shelves "Can you keep an eye out? I'm going to get the bottles"

"No worries" She watched as he picked up ten bottles, all glowing, then came back "Very well done"

"I played this game a lot as a kid" He shrugged "That gives us about fifty to go"

"Fifty two" Luna nodded "Any suggestions?"

"I think we have to go in to space" He sighed. Luna stared at him in surprise.

"Space?"

"The manor has a space-rocket attached" He paused "Didn't I mention that?"

xoxox

"Here they come at last!" As Andy and Sally strode out on to the street, the bandit leader turned and jeered at them "Got tired of cowering in the local pub, then?"

"We weren't cowering" Andy said conversationally "We just didn't think such a pathetic band as this needed intervention from anything other than the town guard" He grinned as the bandits bristled at his implication.

"But we got bored, and thought we'd come out and see what was going on" Sally added "It's not often we get to see a show like this"

"Big words" The bandit chief took a step forward "Will you be so sanguine when your blood is all over the street?"

"Very amusing" Andy smiled, then - at the surprised look on the chief's face - rolled his eyes "That's the trouble with bandits in Albion - they generally lack a classical education"

"We could always start a foundation" Sally suggested "Get people to donate money for the re-education of illiterate bandits?"

"Make a note of it!" Andy replied heroically "We shall defeat evil and...." He ducked as an arrow flew over his head "Hey - that's just not nice" He glanced at Sally "Screw the foundation - lets just kill them"

xoxox

"DIFFINDO!" Harry swept his wand in a large arc, and the cutting curse severed the bottom of one of the AT-AT's legs.

"Oh go Harry! Go Harry!" Prue did a little dance behind the wall. Harry grinned, and let out another curse, cutting the bottom of another leg. A moment later, the At-AT fell over sideways, and burst in to flame.

"The Rebel Alliance would have had a lot more fun if they were mages" Harry said thoughtfully "But I suppose they wouldn't have got six films out of it"

"Just a little legilemency on Palpatine, and bingo - it's all over" Prue sighed "Would've saved us from that dumb-ass Clones movie"

"True" Harry glanced up over the wall "Ready to finish it off?"

"Give me a second" She looked around "What do you think is going on here?"

"We're fighting Stormtroopers, in a large lego city, and every time we destroy something, we get points" Harry stared at her curiously "What do you mean?"

"We're not members of The Rebel Alliance" She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall "Quite aside from the fact The Rebel Alliance isn't real" She gestured to her weapon "Lightsabres also aren't real, and as far as I know, we've never been trained how to use them"

"And my wandless magic has never been this powerful" Harry nodded.

"And why us?" She opened her eyes and turned to look at him "Eight members of The Western Sky, and we are the only ones?"

"Maybe the others are here, but we haven't found them yet"

"I suppose" She paused "You don't think....."

"No" He shook his head again "Every Stormtrooper has tried to kill us, even those in the AT-AT. Even after the practical joke I played on Andrew and Pansy, I can't imagine them trying to kill us"

"Good point" Prue nodded "So - what happens when we reach our target?"

"No idea" He stretched "But I think we should find out, sooner rather than later" He raised his lightsabre "Ready?"

"Ready" She nodded, then they both jumped to their feet, and charged round the wall.

xoxox

"Is that a dancing bunny?"

"Yes"

xoxox

Andy threw a fireball across the bridge, and grinned as the bandit he was aiming at dived over the edge.

"Good shot, boss" Sally fired an arrow down the length of the bridge, piercing a bandit in the leg.

"You too" He paused "You're not killing either?"

"Not a big fan of it" She admitted, firing off another two arrows "Besides - they are not evil, they are just...." She paused then shrugged "Pretty bad at being bandits to be honest"

"So - we drive them off" Sally nodded "Then what?"

"We find out who sent us here and why" Sally said decisively "And we make them send us back"

xoxox

"What the hell is a Quirkafleeg?"

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

Luna turns in to a pig.

Andrew stares at three screens in disbelief.

Andy and Sally stand either side of a young woman, all dressed in similar clothes.

Harry and Prue dive through a metal grate.

Andy and Sally point guns at a bright white portal. Behind them is a bald man in green robes.

Harry and Prue face two men in jet-black robes, looking surprised beyond reason.

"And when you die, beaten, broken, friendless and alone, no one will remember you"

 _Find out what happens in "The Games We Play, Part II", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

"Well - that was kind of fun" Andy and Sally were leaning against the edge of the bride, watching two dozen bandits running out of the town at full speed.

"I know what you mean" Sally smiled "Don't get me wrong - I like the fact The Western Sky isn't involved in full scale war every day, but nothing can beat a bit of ass kicking now and then" She glanced down at her sword "Do you think we can get copies of these made? When we get home?"

"Don't see why not" He paused, then started throwing a fireball up and down in his hand "Any chance I'll get to keep these powers?"

"You like doing the magic?" She grinned as he nodded.

"Being the only non-magical person on the team..." He shrugged "I just feel I could do more"

"But we love you the way you are" Sally stared at him "Plus all the stuff you do.... it confuses the crap out of me"

"I know" He sighed "I just occasionally watch Prue interacting with Pandora, teaching her things I could never teach her...."

"And the fact she can shoot a tin can out of a tree at a hundred paces? Is that Prue's doing as well?" He blushed slightly "But hey - if we can shoot fire from our hands when we get back, all the better"

"Get back where?" They both turned at the voice behind them to find a young girl staring at them.

"Back to Westcliffe" Teresa replied, walking towards them from the centre of town "They're going to fight in The Crucible in a week or so, and they came to learn some more powerful spells"

"Oh. Cool" The little girl grinned, then bounded off towards the main gates.

"Will she be safe?" Sally glanced back to Teresa "With the bandits and so on?"

"The bandits are bad, but not evil" Terasa smiled "They tend to avoid taking children, because while the guards and town and city mayors will put up with a little petty theft now and then, they don't take kindly to child kidnapping and so on"

"Nice guys" Andy rolled his eyes "So - what now?"

xoxox

"My word - that's pretty" Luna stared up at the blocks floating over their heads "How do they hang there like that?"

"I'd like to say magic, but honestly it's just the way they are" Andrew pointed up at one of the blocks "Each block represents a room we've been in. The solid red ones are ones where there is at least one item to pick up, while the transparent ones either have no items or we got them all" He pointed to the right of the room, where the was a marked lack of blocks "That's where we have to go next"

"What's down there?"

"The garden, front gate and highway to hell" Andrew smirked as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Willy built a mansion and included a highway to hell on the plans?" He laughed.

"You have no problem with a spaceship parked above the mansion, but a portal to hell is a step too far?"

"When you put it that way" She smiled "So, which way now, intrepid explorer?"

"To infinity and beyond"

"Really?"

"Nah - just through that door"

xoxox

Harry glanced over at Prue as they waded through the horde of Stormtroopers, sending bolts flying everywhere. The older witch had a huge smile on her face.

"Having fun?" He called out.

"Oh yeah" She beamed back at him, then span round on the spot, cutting a number of troopers in two "This is the reason I like these films - most films in fact"

"Because they have shiny light swords?" He tilted his head to one side "I guess Gone With The Wind would've gone a lot differently if the south had an army of Jedi"

"No, though that could be fun" She waved her hand, sending another five troopers flying "The Star Wars films have very definitive lines of right and wrong, and between good guys and bad guys" She gestured around "The Stormtroopers work for The Empire, so they are bad guys, and, as good guys, it is our duty to kill them"

"Makes life easier" Harry reflected, then shook his head "Imagine what The Alliance would've been like with Dumbledore in charge" He paused, then shivered "Actually, that's a pretty horrible thought, and not one I want to think about again"

"Don't blame you" She sliced downwards, killing another trooper "That looks like all of them" She ducked as a blaster bolt flew over her head, then span round and sent the last Stormtrooper flying up in to the air "Nearly all"

"So - we finish filling the thermometer, then...." He paused "Then what?"

"We see what happens"

xoxox

"We have to walk all the way back to the lake?" Sally moaned.

"If Teresa is coming with us, we do" Andy nodded "Unless we're giving up the illusion we're common or garden heroes" He looked back to where Teresa was talking quietly with two guards "Do you think we can trust her?"

"No" Sally shook her head "At least, not yet"

"Any reason?"

"She's being remarkably helpful" She glanced across to the older woman again "Even if we are heroes, why is she so focused on us? Doesn't she have other people she could be helping?" She paused "I'm not saying she's evil, or even slightly gray, but...."

"But you think we should be on our guard?" Andy asked, and Sally nodded "Then I guess, if she's coming with us, we walk"

"Swell"

xoxox

"I can't help noticing the giant foot" Luna and Andrew stared up at ceiling of the room.

"It is quite a large foot" Andrew agreed.

"Is there any possibility that, when we take the bulb from up there, the foot is going to come down and crush us?"

"Pretty much" Andrew nodded "Plus the floor will become a conveyor belt"

"Meaning we can't escape" She sighed "Could we skip these two?" She gestured to the bulb and the crystal ball "Do we need them?"

"Probably not, but...."

"But?"

"But if we get to the far end of the garden, and realise we only have one hundred and forty eight...." He trailed off and shrugged "It's up to you"

"Me?" She exclaimed "You know this place better"

"But you're the senior mage" Andrew shrugged again "You've been doing this a lot longer than me"

"This in particular?" She grinned as he rolled his eyes "Okay - we take them, and deal with the foot"

"Yes, boss" He saluted, then took a step forward but stopped when she rested a hand on his arm "Lu?"

"I think we can defeat the foot" She paused "Which sounds kind of odd, but anyway" She pulled out her wand "Accio bulb! Accio ball!" The shining objects flew towards her, and almost at once the foot crashed down from the roof, denting the floor on impact. Andrew caught the bulb, while Luna caught the ball, and two pings came from the roof.

"One hundred and eleven" Andrew smiled "I suggest we head to the teleport, which will take us back to the bathroom. From there, out through the garden"

"Because...."

"The last room to the...." He paused, furrowing his brow "I want to say right, but... east?" He shook his head "Anyway - the last room we can get to has around twenty or so bottles in it, and if we pick up everything on the way, it should bring us to our total"

"Okay" She nodded "So how do we get to the teleport?"

xoxox

"TWOING!TWANGTWANGTWANG!" The area was filled with noise as the white picket fence exploded in a ball of flame.

"Well - that's that" Prue looked upwards "One hundred percent" She paused, then looked around "We made a bit of a mess, didn't we?" Harry returned her smile as they both surveyed the devastation they'd caused.

There were no buildings standing, aside from a very strange one that had exploded out of nowhere when an AT-AT bolt had crashed in to the ground near it, and yet the Stormtrooper bodies, of which there should be a hundred or so, had all vanished.

"Maybe they can build nicer houses" Harry suggested, still smiling, then looked around "Was that there before?"

"Was what where?" Prue turned, then blinked a few times "No - that wasn't there" They stared at the archway that had appeared, apparently out of nowhere, for a few minutes "So - should we use it?"

"What've we got to lose?" Harry replied with a grin, then held out his hand. Prue took it, and together they walked towards the arch.

xoxox

"This is actually pretty comfortable" Sally looked out of the window of the coach as it trundled along the road.

"You've never been by carriage before?" Teresa turned to stare at her "You walk everywhere?"

"We have mostly stayed in the Bowerstone area" Andy replied "And, to be honest, we prefer to go by horseback whenever we travel distances"

"Makes it easier to avoid entanglements" Sally added with a smile.

"Really?" Teresa smirked gently "Because bandits rarely attack carriages, and yet horsemen are far more likely targets" She paused "What are you not telling me?"

"That we have secrets - secrets we want to keep" Andy replied calmly "And no offence, but we barely know you - you could be anyone"

"I mean - you've given us some help, but if you wanted to do us harm, then helping us would be a good way to get us to lower our guard" Sally stared at her levelly "Nothing to say?"

"For the moment? No" Teresa shook her head "Besides, you are going to have far more on your mind than my murky past when we arrive"

"And you know this how?"

"That would be telling"

"That would be the point" Andy continued to stare at her, while Sally privately started taking bets on which one would crack first.

xoxox

Luna stared down at the platform in front of them.

"That's really a teleport?"

"One hundred percent" Andrew nodded "Step in to it, and we'll bounce down to the bathroom again"

"And it's safe?" She looked at up him "It's not going to scatter my molecules all over the mansion?"

"You apparate, take the floo and use portkeys every day" She rolled her eyes.

"They're magic, so they're safe" She said patiently "This is technology"

"It's safe" He grinned at her, then jumped forward and vanished. She stared at the platform for a while longer, then shrugged, and took a step on to it.

xoxox

"What the hell?" Harry and Prue looked round in confusion at the room they'd found themselves in "I don't recognise this from any of the films"

"Me neither" Prue glanced behind her "The archway's gone" Harry followed her gaze, then shrugged.

"I thought as much" He admitted "We've done whatever we're meant to do in there, and now we move on to the next level"

"Level?" Prue frowned "You think this is some type of game?"

"Not exactly, but... yeah" He nodded "Whoever stuck us in this world is either testing us, or torturing us. And either way - we got through his first salvo"

"And now we move on to the next one" Prue nodded in agreement "So - how do we find out who put us here? And what the next level is?"

"I believe I can answer that"

xoxox

"Please - you have to help me" Andy and Sally stared in disbelief as the woman they had just encountered went down on her knees

"M'am?" Andy glanced at Sally in confusion.

"My daughter.... My daughter's been taken by a troll" The woman stared up at them, tears in her eyes "It went off to Bower Lake"

"And you want us to save her?" Sally asked, and the woman nodded, looking slightly confused. Sally turned to Andy.

"I don't see why not" He shrugged "But I can't help notice Teresa seems to have known this was coming"

"To say the least" She turned back to the woman "What's your daughter's name?"

"Melinda"

"Then we will find Melinda, and bring her back" Sally beamed at the woman "We'll see you in a while"

xoxox

"Waaaah!" Luna fell over as she reappeared, then smiled up at Andrew as he caught her "Thanks"

"No worri...." He trailed off, staring past her in confusion "Oh my"

"Oh my good?" Luna straightened up and turned "Who's that?"

"That, my good and dear friend, is Maria" Andrew replied, then - at the look of confusion on her face added "Willy's wife"

"Oh" Luna continued to frown "Isn't she supposed to be in the bedroom?"

"Yeah" Andrew nodded "And she's not meant to have a scythe" They both took a step back as Maria came in to the room "This isn't good"

xoxox

"My friends - you are not supposed to be here yet" Harry and Prue watched as the woman, robed in a black cloak, walked towards them "You got out early, and I'm not ready for you yet"

"We're sorry" Harry took a step in front of Prue "If you want, we can go back in and wait for you"

"No - that won't be necessary" The woman stopped, then raised her hands "I think I can deal with you now as well as I can later" She paused "Of course, My Master won't be happy, but I'm sure he'll forgive me eventually" She smiled "My Lord is very forgiving for those who serve him"

"Your Lord?" Harry raised his eyebrows "Does he have a name?"

"Of course" The woman smiled "But that's enough questions from you. I do have one though"

"Yes?"

"Can you run, Harry?" She flung her arms forward, sending forks of lightening flying towards them.

xoxox

"My husband - you shouldn't be here" Maria stared at Andrew, completely ignoring Luna.

"Where else should be, wife?" He replied, as Luna ducked down behind the bath.

"I have a few suggestions" Maria paused, then swung her scythe round twice. Luna gasped as a portal appeared behind her friend "Consider this a divorce, husband of mine" She waved the scythe again, and, as Luna watched in horror, Andrew flew backwards, then vanished.

"My Master will be happy" Maria said to herself as she turned and walked out of the bathroom. Luna watched her go, then leaned back against the bath, and sighed.

xoxox

"I can't help but notice the lack of troll" Andy and Sally stared at the Lake, which was - as Andy had pointed out when they arrived - lacking a large monster.

"Maybe he's moved on?" Sally suggested, then frowned, and pointed down towards the shore "That's....."

"A little girl" Andy nodded, drawing his sword "Think she answers to the name of Melinda?"

"Only one way to find out" They started walking fowards, both with drawn swords, but stopped at the sound of laughter.

"Too soon, too soon" The little girl laughed at them, dancing on the spot "You aren't ready for the truth, Heroes of Albion - you are here to soon"

"We are?"

"Yes, but I can fix that" She grinned "TEMPUS ET OMNIA MUTANTUR!"

A burst of bright green light flew towards them, then the ground opened up beneath them, and they found themselves falling.

xoxox

The girl stared at the spot, then clapped her hands together, laughing gleefully.

"Oh he won't be happy with me, but that's not my problem any more" She giggled "Or at least, it won't be for another five hundred years" With a last look at the spot the two heroes had vanished, the little girl turned, and skipped away.

(TO BE CONTINUED in "The Games We Play, Part II")

 _(end of act 3)_


	7. The Games We Play, Part II

Andrew is sat in a nondescript room, facing the camera.

"So - I woke up in Jet Set Willy's mansion, collecting shiny objects"

 _A few images of Andrew wandering round various rooms._

"Half an hour or so later, I ran in to Luna, who was stuck there as well"

 _Luna jumps to one side as Andrew barrels through a door._

"We carried on collecting shiny objects, and then we encountered Maria"

 _Andrew and Luna face a woman in a dark robe._

 _"And she banished me here"_

 __Andrew flies backwards in to a portal._ _

"Which is where I discovered we weren't alone in being stuck in strange worlds"

 _Images of Harry and Prue, made of Lego, fighting Stormtroopers, also made of Lego._

 _Images of Andy and Sally fighting bandits, and of Andy using magic._

"So while I get to watch my friends play out their adventures....." He turns and gestures to three large TV screens, where we can see Prue and Harry, still made of Lego, running through the Death Star, Andy and Sally talking to a short, bald man in a green robe, and Luna blasting apart a giant skull "...I also have to work out how to get back to Luna, then rescue the others" He pauses "Yeah - I don't know how I'm going to do it either"

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 7 : The Games We Play, Part II_

 _Guest Staring : Weaver, Briar Rose, Maze, Darth Vader_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

"Where are we heading, exactly?" Harry asked Prue as they ran down a corridor.

"Not sure" Prue sighed "But as long as we keep going this way, then they probably won't catch up with us" She glanced over her shoulder, and then looked back as two dozen Stormtroopers charged round the corner after them.

"Seems like a good plan" Harry rolled his eyes, then took her hand and pulled her round a bend to the right.

A moment later, they came running back, ducking as blaster bolts shot over their head.

"That, on the other hand, wasn't" He admitted.

xoxox

"I don't think this is a good idea" Andy and Sally were stood in a small alcove, occasionally glancing over at a short man in a green robe. Sally turned back to her boss "You know what that Weasley bitch did to our world by messing with the past. Admittedly, that was by killing me and my mother, and this is just telling the most senior Hero in the realm about the future, but still...."

"I understand" Andy looked over at The Guildmaster again "Okay - we don't tell him about the coming fall of The Guild, nor about the eventual overthrow of the heroes" He paused "But we have to tell him something. We appeared in the middle of the dining hall during what I can only assume was the evening meal, given the amount of people there to see us"

"We can't just tell him we got lost?" Sally asked, then shook her head "Even I wouldn't believe that" She sighed "Okay - we tell him where we came from, and how we got here, but nothing else"

"Yes boss" Andy smiled at her, causing her to blush.

"Sorry - I am just.... touchy about time travel and the danger of screwing around with it" She grinned "But boss - I kind of like the sound of that" They laughed, then Sally took a deep breath "Volley and thunder?"

"In to the valley" He nodded and together they walked out to talk to The Guildmaster.

xoxox

"I've been wandering round the Manor, all the live long day. I've been wandering round the Manor, wanting to get back to LJ" Luna paused "Doesn't really scan" She looked around the garden "So I have to jump the hedges, climb up the trellis and walk along to get the plant pot" She stared up to where the little flower was perched, nearly twenty feet above her "Or I could jump the hedges, and summon it"

xoxox

"You're from the future?" The Guildmaster let his gaze wander between Andy and Sally.

"Yes, sir" Andy nodded "Around five hundred years, we think, based on the history of Albion"

"And you were sent back here by a little girl?" The older man's tone indicated slight disbelief.

"Yes, sir" Sally sighed "Though it is possible she might have been a much more powerful being, disguised as a little girl"

"Of course" The Guildmaster nodded "Are you going to attempt to return to the future?"

"To be honest, sir, we don't know" Andy paused "May I ask a question?"

"By all means"

"If we talk to you in confidence, can you promise you won't discuss it with anyone else?" Andy leaned forward "We are concerned that anything we say might have an impact on the future, and that if what we say gets distorted...." He trailed off as The Guildmaster nodded.

"I understand your trepidation, young Hero, and I promise that I will keep anything you tell me private, in as much as it is in my power"

"Sir?"

"Call me Weaver - as you are not my students, I don't think Sir is entirely appropriate" He smiled fondly.

"Okay" Andy nodded.

"And to explain my former comments, there are mages in the realm who have powers to control people's thoughts, minds and actions. And while it is unlikely they could invade and conquer The Guild, I am not willing to say it will never happen" He paused "But baring the invasion and occupation of The Guild, I will keep your secrets" Andy and Sally both laughed at comments.

"Very well" Sally took a deep breath "We're not from Albion. We were dragged in to the world five hundred years from now by person or persons unknown, and then - as we said - were sent back by this little girl being"

"You are not from this realm?" Weaver looked them up and down, then tilted his head to one side "That would explain it"

"Explain what?" Andy glanced across at Sally, trying to see what The Guildmaster was seeing.

"It's very subtle, very slight" He continued to let his gaze wander over them "I have no doubt that only powerful mages could see it, but there is a slight.... aura around you. I couldn't interpret it, until you told me where you come from"

"Powerful mages...." Andy said thoughtfully, glancing at Sally.

"Teresa?" She asked, seeing where his thoughts were going.

"You know Teresa?" Weaver asked in surprise "The blind seeress?"

"We met a woman named Teresa, in the future, but surely it can't be the same woman" Andy replied "Can she? People don't live forever in this world, do they?"

"No, sadly not" The Guildmaster shook his head "It is probably just a co-incidence, as you said" He looked around "I can do a little research, and find out if there is a way to return you to your own world. Do you have any plans to spend your time while you're here?"

"We are heroes, apparently" Andy grinned "I'm sure there are some damsels in distress we can save from evil monsters"

"No doubt" Weaver stood up, followed by Andy and Sally "I will have to ask that you leave your..... I believe you called them guns?"

"Rifles and pistols, sir" Sally replied, then blushed "I mean, Weaver"

"I will have to ask that you leave them here. As you will have gathered, we have nothing like that in this time, and if you are seen using them...."

"Not a problem, Guildmaster" Sally nodded formally "We both seem to be able to use bows as well as guns" She glanced at Andy, who nodded in agreement.

"Very well - if you would like to follow me, I will take you to the Quest Chamber, where missions and other quests are handed out"

xoxox

"Which way now?" Harry and Prue were hiding behind a console as a group of Stormtroopers streamed past them.

"There's an elevator behind us. We can take it up to the next floor and see if we can find the hangar bay" Prue suggested.

"Do you have any idea how to fly a starship?" Harry asked interestedly.

"How hard can it be?"

xoxox

"One hundred and forty eight" Luna sighed as she stared at the door in front of her "I guess the question is do I want to fight all the way back to The Belfry, or go in to a place that Willy loving called The Nightmare Room?" She paused, then some of her previous nightmares flashed through her head.

"Voldermort's dead" She said to herself "He can't hurt me any more" Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.

xoxox

"NO!" Andrew yelled as he watched Luna walk in to The Nightmare Room. There was a flash of light on the screen, then a winged pig appeared.

"Come on - you can do this" He stared at the screen as the pig took a few faltering steps, then moaned as it collapsed in to a heap.

"Oh dear" He sat back on the floor, and dropped his head in to his hands "Luna"

xoxox

"Guildmaster" Sally looked over as an older woman in a studded leather jacket walked up to Weaver.

"Miss Rose" He smiled, and bowed politely "How goes the fight in Knothole Glade?"

"That's all taken care of - your favourite student dealt with the silver balverine, and the rest have retreated in to the wild" Briar Rose nodded "But I came back via Oakvale, and there are signs of an impending bandit raid. The mayor asked if we could provide some assistance"

"Does it look as if they will need it?" Weaver asked, suddenly serious.

"Yes, Guildmaster - they do" She nodded, equally serious.

"Then I have just the help you will need" He smiled, and turned to find Sally and Andy stood in the archway "My friends - I believe I have a job for you"

xoxox

"I never thought I'd miss Jonathan's magic bone"

xoxox

Harry peered round the corner, then drew back and turned to Prue.

"There's good news, and bad news"

"What's the good news?"

"We're unlikely to encounter any Stormtroopers if we head back in the other direction"

"Because?"

"Every single Stormtrooper in the universe is standing between us and the ship out of here" He sighed "We're not getting past them - at least not both of us"

"Ah" Prue paused, then shrugged "Okay - we head back the other way, and see if there's another bay? Or if we can get our hands on Stormtrooper armour, so we can blend in?"

"Sounds like a plan"

xoxox

"Before you leave, I should give you these" Weaver handed Andy and Sally a small silver coin each "They are Guild Seals, and will allow you to keep in communication with me, as well as access any of the Cullis-Gates throughout the realm - something you will need in a moment"

"Cullis-Gates?"

"I will let Briar Rose explain" He smiled at them "Go well, and come back safely"

"We'll do our best" Andy gave a slight bow, then the two of them turned and followed Briar Rose towards another alcove full of glowing white light.

"We are going to Oakvale, so if you walk in to the light, and say 'Oakvale', it will take you there" Briar Rose said with a smile "The attack shouldn't have started, so you don't need to come out blasting"

"Cool" Sally nodded, then winced as the older woman gave her an odd look "I mean - okay" Rose stared at her for a moment, then shrugged, and disappeared in to the glowing light.

"Floo travel for the masses?" Andy suggested then walked forward until he was surrounded by glowing light "Oakvale" Sally saw him vanish, then took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing"

xoxox

"What's the matter, Loony? Lost your lunch money?" Six year old Luna stared up at the three figures surrounding her, and burst in to tears.

"Oh look at the widdle baby girl" Harry smirked mockingly at her "What's the matter, baby girl?"

"Looks like she wants her mummy" Sally laughed "Pity she's DEAD"

"Maybe her daddy can dry her tears" Hermione giggled, then pulled out her wand "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"Daddy - nooooo!"

"Ooops" Hermione moved her hand up to her lips "Sorry baby girl - guess daddy's dead too"

xoxox

"There's only one way in to the town - through Scarlett's Arch" Briar Rose outlined her plan for defending Oakvale "The rest of the hedges are too thick to get through"

"So we pick them off one by one?" Andy asked, and Rose nodded.

"Sally, take Bridge Pass" Sally nodded "Andy - Teresa's Field"

"Teresa's Field?" Andy raised his eyebrows, glancing at Sally.

"Named after a girl who used to live here" Rose frowned "That one over there"

"Yes, Mistress Rose" He grinned as she frowned at him "Do we take it in turns, or just kill whoever comes through?"

"Anyone who comes through" Rose replied, walking over to hide behind a statue. She tilted her head to one side "Ready?"

"Ready" Sally called from above them.

"Ready" Andy nodded, raising his hands.

"Here they come"

xoxox

"ERRAM NAKUM A PLECK!" Andrew bellowed the final words of the spell, staring at Luna's cowering form, then yelled "YES!" as a white portal appeared.

"Hang on sweetie - I'm coming for you"

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

“But – you love me”

“Me? Love you?” Tara laughed cruelly “You were nothing more than a tool to me. I used you to get to The Western Sky, and I used all of you to get access to the spells I needed. Now I can use the skills that I learned from you, and use it to make Willow forget the past, and take me back” She giggled at the look on her partner's face “Do you have any idea what you look like?” With a last glance at the crying woman, Tara turned, and walked away. Luna watched her go, then closed her eyes, not wanting to see her leave.

"Luna - open your eyes" Luna looked up suddenly, realising Tara was still stood in front of her. Then her mind registered what she'd heard.

"Tara?" She stared at her beloved, wondering why the woman she loved more than anything else was speaking in a deep, male voice.

"More or less" Tara grinned at her "I've had to take over her form for a little while"

"Why?"

"You're so terrified, your mind has closed down. I tried talking to you, shaking you, slapping you...." She blushed "I even tried kissing you, but you're completely catatonic"

"That doesn't sound good" Luna paused "And if you're not my wife, who are you?"

"Andrew" Tara blushed again "I need you to wake up - I can get you out of here, but not while you're like this"

"Okay" Luna closed her eyes, then opened them again "That didn't work, did it?" Tara looked herself up and down, then shook her head.

xoxox

"In Avo's name!" Briar Rose yelled in frustration as another wave of bandits came through the archway in to Oakvale "How many of them are there?"

"More than enough" Sally called from above her, sending down arrow after arrow in to the horde.

"Is there any way to call for more help?" Andy fired off a fireball, blasting three of the attackers off their feet.

"I am monitoring the situation" He jerked his hands as he heard the voice in his head, blowing the top off the archway.

"What the hell was that?"

"Do not worry, Master Andrew, it is merely I, The Guildmaster" Weaver's voice was calming and quiet "I have been watching your progress, and I do not believe you will require re-enforcements to finish this battle"

"That's nice" Andy muttered "And probably easy to say when you're hundreds of miles away"

"I should remind you that, since we are communicating via thought, muttering is not a way to prevent me from hearing"

"Ooops"

"Quite" He thought he could hear Weaver smiling "You will not require additional help, however I believe you and your partner must modify your modus operandi" Andy glanced up to where Sally was shooting arrow after arrow in to the bandits, and then sighed as he realised she was aiming at their arms and legs, and not their chests or heads.

"You want us to kill" He thought flatly "Even though they are human, and they aren't evil"

"It's your life or theirs, Master Andrew" Weaver replied "Or should I say - it's their life or Oakvale" Andy paused, then cursed under his breath "I understand your reluctance...."

"Oh shut up" He shouted, then shook his head and looked up again at Sally "ANNE!" Sally's head snapped round in surprise "Code 3" She paused, staring at him for one second, then nodded, and turned back. A second later, he saw an arrow hit a bandit in the forehead.

"She's never going to forgive me" He sighed, then raised his hands again, and started firing again.

xoxox

"Tell me again how we got here" Harry looked at the knee deep sludge they were stood in, then back up at Prue.

"You decided to lead us in to prison cells, because you said, and I quote, it would be a safe place to hide"

"And if they hadn't been about to execute two dozen prisoners, it would have been" Harry protested, causing Prue to roll her eyes "Yeah - I know"

"So - you want to get out of here? She asked, walking up to the door.

"Probably wise" He paused "I am pretty sure I just felt something stroke my leg, and since Sally isn't here, and Luna doesn't swing that way...."

"Oh I am so talking to your wife when we get out of here" Prue laughed, then turned to face the door. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath then looked over at him "Ready?"

"Ready" He nodded. She thrust her hands forward, sending the door crashing off its hinges and in to the far wall, where it crumpled in to tiny pieces "That should do it"

"You're welcome" He jumped up beside her, and together they peered through the hole Prue had just created

xoxox

"Why can't I wake up?" Luna stared over Andrew's shoulder to where Harry, Hermione and Sally were walking towards her "Please - wake me up"

"I'm trying sweetie" Andrew replied in Tara's voice. He had been unable to change his appearance, and now that Luna's three oldest and dearest friends had come in to view, he had decided that wasn't exactly his priority any more.

"No...." She took a step back "I don't want to talk to them - not now"

"Then I can try one thing, but you have to trust me" He paused "More or less"

"What do you mean?" She was still staring over his shoulder, watching the advancing trio.

"This" He suddenly reached forward, grabbed her, and pulling her towards him roughly, he kissed her passionately.

xoxox

"Code 3?" Sally raised her eyebrows "Any particular reason?"

"Weaver's advice" Andy sighed "In his own, inimitable way, he pointed out that this is not our world, and we can't stick to our normal rules"

"I suppose" She glanced at the pile of dead bodies lying under the arch.

"I'm sorry" He leaned over and hugged her "But we'll be out of here soon, and we can go back to only killing demons"

"And Death Eaters"

"And Death Eaters" He smiled at her, then turned to Briar Rose "Miss Rose - very impressive"

"I know" Rose smiled at him, then looked over her shoulder "If you like, I'll talk to the guard, so they can clear this mess up, and you two can return to The Guild"

"Thanks" Sally smiled "I'm not sure I'm up to burial detail" She saw Rose smirk "I don't think I want to know"

"Oh - it's not what you think" Rose shook her head, then turned to Andy "Thank you for your help - I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done this on my own"

"We're here to help" Andy bowed "Do we have to go back to the cullis-gate beyond the arch?"

"No - there's another one down the lane over yonder" Briar Rose waved her hand towards the pub "About five hundred yards past the pub"

"Thanks" He took Sally's hand, and they walked off down the path together. Rose watched them for a moment, then span round at the sound of a noise behind her.

"Oh - it's you" She bowed slightly "Can I help you?"

xoxox

"Well - that worked" Andrew grinned down at Luna, who was staring up at him in surprise.

"It worked?" Luna replied dumbly, looking around, then she looked back up at him "You look like you"

"Yup" He continued grinning and held his hand out. She stared at hit for a moment, then took it, and allowed him to pull her up.

"So I'm back in the real world" She glanced around "So to speak"

"Yup" Andrew nodded again.

"And you kissed me!" She frowned "Why did you kiss me?"

"Honestly? Every time you tried to escape, it was because you wanted to get out of your mind"

"Well duh"

"And so a part of your mind was stuck on the fact you were stuck" He paused "I thought if I did something that could shock you so completely, that it would wipe out the part of your mind that was stuck on being stuck" He shrugged "It was kiss you or stab you, and I thought, on the whole, you'd probably prefer the kissing" She stared at him for a moment, then leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"You're very smart, you know"

"I do know that" He smiled at her "And because I am so smart, guess what else I can do?"

"Juggle?"

"God no" He shook his head, then clicked his fingers. A moment later, a portal of white light appeared behind him "My lady - your way home" Luna stared at the portal, then turned to him with a big grin.

"You are a genius" She threw her arms round him and hugged him tightly.

"I know" He smiled in to the top of her head, then, when she pulled back, he turned her to the portal "Lets go - the others need our help"

"Okay" She nodded, then frowned "Others?"

xoxox

"I still think our best plan is to make a break for the bay and steal a ship"

"And I think our best plan is to make another arch appear, and get out that way"

"I don't think either of those plans will work" Harry and Prue froze at the voice behind them.

"Harry?"

"Yes Prue?"

"Did we just let someone creep up on us and take us prisoner?"

"Looks like"

"Crap" Prue sighed "Harry?"

"Yes, Prue?"

"Lets not tell the rest of the group about this"

"Yes Prue" They both turned to find twenty Stormtroopers pointing blasters at them, and a man in dark, hooded robe, carrying a lightsabre.

xoxox

"They're keeping secrets?" Luna smirked "I think once we get them out of there, we have to tease them quite a lot"

"Definitely" Andrew nodded "But I think Harry and Prue might need our help first" He gestured to the other screen, where their friends had just reappeared in The Guild.

xoxox

"We repelled the attack" Andy reported to The Guildmaster "Briar Rose stayed behind to attend to the bodies"

"Excellent" Weaver nodded happily "Oakvale remains safe, if only for a little while longer" Sally tilted her head to one side.

"Something we should know?"

"What?" He turned to face her "Oh - no. Sorry, I was just commenting on the times we live in. Jack of Blades is stepping up his campaign, and the whole realm is in danger" He sighed "However, I believe that it will not be your problem for much longer"

"Why's that?"

"I think I have found a way to return you to your own realm" He smiled as they both beamed at him "It will take around two hours to prepare the magic, and I will require the assistance of two of my fellow mages, but the spell is relatively simple"

"Thank you!" Sally skipped forward and engulfed him in a hug, much to Andy's amusement.

"You are most welcome my dear" Weaver patted her back.

"If you don't mind, we'll try and get some sleep" Andy said when Sally had released the older mage "We've been up about forty hours straight now, and I don't know about Sally, but I'm dead on my feet"

"Tell me about it" Sally nodded.

"There are beds upstairs - look for the ones that don't have trunks next to them"

"Thanks" They both turned and walked towards the stairs.

"Home" Sally smiled as she followed Andy up to the dorms, then bumped in to him when he stopped "What's up?"

"Can you hear that?" He turned "Is that.... Weaver?"

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU!" They heard The Guildmaster's raised voice "YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH IT!"

"Lets go" He told her, and pulled out his sword. She mirrored his actions, and together they both crept back down the stairs.

xoxox

"I thought my Master had wiped out all of the Jedi" The dark robed figure stood in front of them, hands behind his back "But then again, you are not Jedi, are you?" Harry and Prue exchanged worried glances.

"Who are you?"

"Do you really want to know?" The figure took a step forward "Because once you start down this path...."

"It will forever dominate our destiny?" Prue rolled her eyes "Don't you have any original lines?"

"Mock me if you want"

"I think she is" Harry smirked.

"But will you be so sanguine when your blood is covering my decks?" He paused, then flicked his hood back. Harry and Prue stared, looks of shock and horror spreading across their faces.

xoxox

"Tell us where they are, or suffer the consequences" Sally peered round the pillar to see Weaver kneeling in front of two men, both holding a sword to his neck "The two strangers - my master demands to know their location"

"You'll get nothing from me Maze" The Guildmaster stared up defiantly.

"Fair enough" Maze raised the sword, then swung it down towards Weaver's neck.

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

 _When the danger comes...._

Sirens rip through The Compound, while Harry and Sally stare at each other in horror.

 _The Order must once again reform...._

The entire Order of V, along with the whole of The Western Sky, stand at the entrance doors to Hogwarts.

 _Because the darkness is coming, and nothing can stop it._

A massive swarm of dark shapes moves through Hogsmeade, and up towards the school.

 _Find out what happens in "The Dark Night", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

"STUPEFY!" Maze's sword flew out of his hand as a bolt of red light flew through the air.

"Thank god it's Friday!" Andy yelled with a grin as Andrew and Luna charged in to the room. Sally flung her hands forward, blasting Maze's companion with lightening.

"Who..."

"We're friends of Weaver" Andrew replied, while Luna held her wand steady, pointing at Maze's heart "And we don't think you should kill him"

"You dare to challenge me?" Maze threw back his head and laughed "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"No" Luna shook her head "And I don't care. Leave, or I will kill you where you stand"

"Kill me? KILL ME?" The younger mage took a step forward "You dare to raise a hand to..."

"SOMINUS MAXIMUS!" A light blue beam of light exploded from Luna's wand, and knocked out the two mages instantly. She watched them for a second, then turned to Andy.

"Sorry, boss, but they weren't enough of a threat to kill"

"I understand" He smiled at her, then turned back to see Sally pulling Weaver to his feet "Guildmaster, may I introduce my friends Andrew and Luna"

"It's a pleasure to meet you" Weaver bowed "And thank you for your timely intervention - though I am sure Andrew and Sally would have taken the appropriate steps if necessary"

"Of course" Sally smiled "So - how did you two get here?"

"Long story" Luna waved her away "But we need you to come with us - Harry and Prue are about to be executed by Darth Vader, and I don't think they have enough power to stop him" She paused as they both stared at her in confusion "Oh - yeah, you don't know where they are"

"Darth Vader?" Andy raised his eyebrows sceptically "Really?"

"As hard as it is to believe, we think Harry and Prue are now Jedi Knights, and they've been captured by The Empire" Andrew nodded "I am pretty sure I can get us there, but we have to go now"

"Very well" Andy turned back to The Guildmaster "Weaver - thank you for the offer, but we can't take you up on it. Our friends are in danger, and we need to go to them"

"I understand" Weaver nodded, then, with a wave of his hand, he summoned a large bag "This contains all your possessions from when you arrived - I kept it safe so you could take them back with you"

"Thank you" Sally bounded over and kissed him on the cheek "I don't think we'll meet again, but if we do, my family and I are in your debt"

"As are mine" Andy added.

"I am honoured" Weaver bowed to them both "Now - go. Save your friends"

"What about...." Sally gestured to Maze and his ally.

"I can handle him" The Guildmaster smiled in such a way that all four mages took a step back without realising they were doing it "I might look old and weak, but trust me - I am not"

"That's an understatement" Andy smiled, then, with a final bow, he turned to Andrew "So - you can get us out of here?"

xoxox

"Nothing to say, Harry?" Harry stared in complete confusion at his mirror image.

"How?"

"How do you think?" His doppleganger suggested "Maybe I'm just an illusion. Maybe I'm using glamour spells, or polyjuice" He smiled "Of course, it might be that I am messing with your mind, and you are the only person who sees me like this"

"Not the only person" Prue said from behind Harry.

"A harmless witch from the colonies?" Mirror Harry snorted "You don't count, bitch - only real wizards and witches matter in this world" Prue raised her eyebrows in surprise, but noticed Harry frown.

"I've heard that before" Harry replied, still frowning "The last person to spout that sort of nonsense ended up with his head on a pike, courtesy of two mudbloods and a half blood"

"And yet I am here, head in tact" The robed Harry smirked at him "And you two are at my mercy" He paused "But not for much longer" He turned to the four Stormtroopers stood behind him "Take them to the cargo bay, and prepare them for execution"

"Yes, Lord Vader" The lead Stormtrooper replied, then they raised their guns "This way" Prue looked over at Harry, but he shook his head slightly. She nodded, then they turned and let themselves be escorted out by the white armoured men.

xoxox

"Sal?" Andrew was watching Sally as she stared at the screen. When she didn't respond, he tapped her on the shoulder, then leaned back as she jumped in surprise "Sorry - I didn't mean to startle you"

"What?" She looked round "Oh - sorry. I was distracted" She glanced back at the screen, then turned to face the other three "We have a serious problem"

"More serious than my wife and your husband being put to death by a fictional Lord of The Sith?" Andy asked.

"Far more so" Sally nodded "Vader's rant - about real witches and wizards..... I've heard it before"

"Me too" Luna added.

"It is almost exactly the same words that Voldemort and his Death Eaters used during their two campaigns of terror" Sally's voice was calm, but Andy could feel the tension radiating off her.

"You think this is Voldemort?" He asked, then started nodding "Maze?"

"Maria?" Andrew looked at Luna, who nodded.

"They all referred to a master - someone who wanted the four of us dead" Luna continued "It would make sense"

"You think he's found a way to come back?" Andy leaned forward "I thought you killed him?"

"We did" Sally nodded "But after he was vanquished the first time, he came back....." She shivered "We have to stop him - we can't let him come back" She glanced at the screen "Not at any cost" Andy followed her gaze, then turned back. Sally caught the look on his face, and grinned "Of course, I'd much prefer not to lose my cuddle-bunny"

"Of course" He grinned at her, then looked at the other two "So - what do we do?"

xoxox

"Why aren't we trying to escape?" Prue marched in formation with Harry between the four Stormtroopers.

"Because I've heard those words before" Harry replied, looking straight ahead "His rant about real witches and wizards is almost a carbon copy of Lord Voldemort's beliefs, and the tone he used was exactly the same"

"You think he's Voldemort?" Prue asked in surprise, then lowered her voice again "Really?"

"It would make sense" Harry nodded, still staring down the corridor "Prue - we can't let him escape. We can't let him return to power"

"I understand"

"Not at any cost" For the first time he glanced across at her, only to find her staring back with a calm expression.

"I understand" She said again, and he nodded back.

"He'll want to oversee my death, so if we bide our time and look like helpless dupes, our eventual strike will be much stronger"

"Okay" She nodded, then suddenly bit her lip "What about the others?"

"Others?"

"Sally, Hermione and Luna" Prue continued "If he's come back for you, won't he be coming after them?"

"That's why we have to stop him" Harry sighed "I wish they were here - I'd feel better about it"

"Needs must" Prue grinned "Besides - we aren't just mages now"

"We aren't?"

"No - this time we're Jedi"

xoxox

"Is everyone ready?" Andy looked at the other three, and they all nodded "Okay. We're going to sneak in, and try to do this by stealth - I don't want to confront the Stormtroopers or Vader directly" He paused, then grinned "The fact I'm going to fight Darth Vader is still a little hard to believe, but there you go"

"You don't want to rush them?" Andrew asked, glancing at the sword Andy was holding.

"Not if we can avoid it" Andy shook his head "If we rush them, they'll be more inclined to kill Harry and Prue, where as if we sneak up on them...."

"Vader will take his time, making a show of it" Andrew nodded.

xoxox

Harry and Prue stood in the centre of the cargo bay, hands tied behind their backs. Twenty feet away, on a raised platform, Harry's mirror image stood, surveying his troops.

"You are here today to witness what happens to those who oppose The Emperor's will" He spoke with a commanding, powerful tone, and Harry had to admit he was impressed with the aura of authority this guy radiated.

"It seems that two Jedi escaped the cleansing of twenty years ago, and they have been attempting to stir up sedition and rebellion against your lawful master" He continued speaking, drawing everyone's attention to him "For which their lives are forfeit, and their fates sealed" He turned to face them "Do you have anything to say before the sentence is carried out?"

"Do you think anything we have to say is worthy of your ears?" Harry laughed "You pretend you are this brave hero, bringing peace and justice to the galaxy, and inside you are just the weak little boy who misses his mother...." He stopped as lightening lanced out of his double's hands, striking him in the chest.

"Is that the best you can do?" Prue sneered derisively "Just like a bully - when you are challenged, you resort to for...." She bent double as the lightening struck her as well.

xoxox

"Now?"

"Not yet" Sally shook her head, despite the tears in her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because he wants him off balance" Sally turned to Andy "I know this is hard, but we've done this before, and my beloved knows what he's doing" Andy paused, then nodded reluctantly.

xoxox

"So where's your boldness now, boy?" Harry stared up at his torturer "Where's your defiance, now that you're beaten, broken, friendless and alone"

"Pardon me?" Harry's head shot up in surprise.

xoxox

"What did he say?" Sally span round, eyes wide.

"He asked Harry where is boldness was?"

"After that" Sally leaned forward, grasping Andy's hand.

"He asked Harry where is defiance was, now that he was beaten...."

"Broken, Friendless and Alone" Sally finished in a flat tone "Oh god - it is him" She paused "We're going - now"

"I thought you wanted to wait?" Andy drew his pistol from his belt, and turned towards the door they were hiding behind.

"I changed my mind" She peered round the door, then looked back "Do you have the flute Andrew gave you?" Andy pulled the crystal out of his jacket "Let him know we go in one minute, and we go all out - kill anyone who moves"

"Yes boss" He nodded, causing her to smile slightly, then he started speaking quietly in to the crystal, while Sally peered around the door again.

xoxox

"We're going now" Andrew said, pulling out his wand "Andy says we can kill anyone who moves"

"Makes sense" Luna nodded "If that is him, we have to stop him" She paused "Tell me when"

xoxox

"Oh, my Lord" Harry should his head "We may be beaten, and we may be broken" He glanced at Prue, who was breathing hard "But we are never friendless, and we will never be alone"

"REDUCTO!"  
"REDUCTO!"  
"DEFULDO!"  
"DIE!"

Harry and Prue threw themselves to the ground as spell fire flew throughout the cargo bay. With a quick wave of his hand, Harry severed the bonds round Prue's wrist, then turned as she did the same.

"I'm going after him" He said "Link up with Andy and Sally, and let them know what's going on" She nodded, and ran off, leaving him to turn to face the figure staring down at him on the platform.

"You have the luck of the virtuous, Mr Potter" His counterpart smirked "But I think it is going to let you down very soon"

"STUPEFY!" Harry yelled, but the other Harry merely waved his hand, deflecting the spell.

"If you truly thought I was Voldemort, you would use more powerful spells"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" The bright green light shot from Harry's wand, then crashed in to the wall as his opponent ducked.

"Better, but not good enough" The mirror image grinned "I'll be seeing you soon, Mr Potter"

"AVAD...." Harry started, but stopped as his target vanished with a load crack "Damn it!"

"He's gone?" Sally came up behind him, holding a sword "Crap"

"I tried - I really did" Harry sighed, then looked her up and down "That's a new look for you" He grinned as she returned the look.

"Not the only one" She smiled, then span round and stared at the void of space "We have to go"

"We're not going after him?" He started, then realised what she was staring at "The forcefield...."

"ANDREW - GET US OUT OF HERE!" Sally bellowed over the rising wind. Andrew glanced at her, then raised both his hands, and flung them towards the centre of the bay. A second later, a white portal appeared, and Sally grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him towards it.

"What about...."

"We can't stop him if we're dead" She said urgently, then pushed him hard.

xoxox

"Portal in the front yard" Tara's voice came out of Pansy's flute, and at once she turned and ran out of the kitchen and in to the garden. She found Tara stood watching with her hands raised.

"Is it just me, or are we getting too many of these recently?" She asked calmly, raising her wand.

"It does seem to be a recurring pattern" Tara admitted "But if this is Ella coming back to tell us we need to raid The Ministry and kill everyone there to prevent the end of the world, I'm going to slap her" Pansy laughed, then they both fell silent as the portal brightened "Here we go"

xoxox

The six mages burst out of the portal, all panting for breath, and fell on the floor.

"Well - there's something you don't see every day" Harry looked up to see Tara and Pansy staring down at them "Did you go to a convention without us?"

xoxox

"Wow" Pansy, wrapped in Andrew's arms, looked round the room "Do you really think he did all this?"

"At the time, I was pretty convinced" Harry nodded "But now.... now I'm not so sure"

"Really?" Luna turned on her side, her head resting in Tara's lap "Even after the graveyard speech?"

"That's what's made me wonder" Harry admitted "Everything my doppleganger said was designed to make us think of Voldemort - so much so I think he was trying to distract us" He noticed both Sally and Andy nodding "Of course, Voldemort was the master of psychological warfare, so he could be trying to bluff us in to believing something else"

"But if it was him, why would he leave me able to do this?" Andy waved his hand, and a vase in the corner rose in to the air.

"And with these" Prue pulled out her lightsabre.

"All good questions" Harry replied, shrugging "And if I had answers, I'd give them to you" He sighed "So - we don't know who is playing with us, and we don't know why. We do know that there is someone out there who is probably intent on destroying us, and that even if we can work out who it is and defeat them, we still have the problem of the Three Animagi to deal with, preferably before they bring about the end of the world" He looked around at the others, before Tara smiled at him.

"So - pretty much a typical day?" She grinned, and he laughed.

"And with that, I think we should call it a night" Andy stood up, pulling Prue with him "You can all sleep in tomorrow - we've all had a long day"

"You remember we have kids, right?" Tara smiled as she and Luna got to their feet.

"Then you an wake up bright and early and have a nice, relaxing day" He replied.

"A nice relaxing day" Harry tilted his head to one side "That sounds nice - what is it?" Everyone laughed as the meeting broke up, and Harry and Sally saw the other six out.

"Want to say good night to the kids?" Harry glanced at the twins' bedroom door, but Sally shook her head.

"Let them sleep" She said softly, then smiled at him "I'm married to a Jedi Knight" She paused, then frowned "Though the last woman to say that didn't exactly end happily"

"Yeah, but I'm not a winy little cry baby who misses his mother, and I have no urge to overshadow my mentor, even if I could figure out who my mentor is" He leaned down and kissed her "Come on, love - lets get some sleep"

 _(end of act 3)_

xoxox

 _Note : The Star Wars saga remains the property of George Lucas, Fable and Fable II remain the property of Lionhead Studios, and Jet Set Willy and Jet Set Willy II remain the property of Software Projects._


	8. The Dark Night

_Harry leaned down and kissed her "Come on, love - lets get some sleep"_

 _two hours later_

The silence of the night exploded as sirens ripped throughout The Compound.

In three of the four houses, the adults jumped out of bed, looking in surprise at the glowing red crystals by their beds, while in the fourth, Harry and Sally stared at each other in horror, the nightmare they'd woken from still etched in their mind's eye.

xoxox

Filius Flitwick jerked awake, shaking his head at the pounding on the door.

"If this is another homesick first year..." He said to himself, then, putting on his dressing gown, he walked over to the door and pulled it open "Headmistress?" He gaped at Hermione, who stood wide eyed and dishevelled in front of him.

"The school...." She started, then blinked a few times "Professor - if we don't act, then in thirty six hours, the school will be destroyed"

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 8 : The Dark Night_

 _Guest Staring : Filius Flitwick_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

Half an hour later, the front room of The Potter house was full to bursting. Hermione had come charging through the floo, accompanied by Viktor, Flitwick and Sirius, while Luna had summoned her father, along with Susan, Remus, Claire and Arnold.

"Destroyed?" Sirius, in disguise as Rick, asked, and Hermione, Harry and Sally all nodded.

"We all had the same dream" Hermione continued "Something that hasn't happened since the night of The Founders' Ball - since we killed Voldemort"

"Do you think that means he's back?" Claire asked, looking at the three of them.

"No" Harry shook his head "The threat that's coming - it's not a dark wizard - it's something much, much worse"

"Worse?" Remus and Susan said together "Worse than Voldemort?"

"Yes" Hermione nodded "Much, much worse" She fell silent, then, after a few minutes when no one spoke, Andy coughed.

"So what is it?" He asked. Hermione looked up at him, eyes filled with dread.

"An army of infiri" She replied simply "Bigger than you could possibly imagine"

"And it's coming to Hogwarts?" Susan asked, looking disturbed.

"In thirty six hours, it will be the gates, and if it gets inside the school, then every student, every teacher - every single thing will be dead within hours" Sally closed her eyes.

"Except...... you can stop it" Luna looked at the three of them, with a slight smile on her face.

"Miss Lovegood?" Flitwick turned to stare at her, but she continued staring at Sally.

"Every dream you had while you were at Hogwarts let you know of The Coming Storm in advance" She continued "And far enough in advance so you could stop it"

"But...." Sally started, then turned as Harry interrupted her.

"She's right, love of my love" He grinned "We saved Mr Weasley, we stopped me being killed by Voldemort on the night he rose, and we stopped the massacre..." He trailed off as both Sally and Hermione flinched at the memory of their last dream "So it would make sense if the reason we we've been sent this dream is to prevent this army from entering Hogwarts" He looked around to see a number of people nodding.

"Okay" Andy clapped his hands together "Harry, Sally - I'd like you to go to The Ministry. We can defend Hogwarts, but Hogsmeade is another matter" He paused as he realised Professor Flitwick was gazing at him in confusion "Oh crap"

"I was wondering when you'd realise" Remus smiled softly, then looked over at Harry, Sally and Hermione "Despite the fact you've summoned The Order, I'm guessing this is going to be a.... a different type of job?"

"Probably - we'd need the cover to...." Harry trailed off, then followed Andy's gaze to the diminutive Charms Professor "Oh crap"

"I have the feeling I am causing a problem" Filius smiled wryly "Would you like me to leave?"

"No, Professor" Andy shook his head "I believe that if Hogwarts is going to be attacked, we will need your advice" He paused "However, if you do wish to stay - and it is entirely up to you - we are going to have to put you under a mild secrecy spell" Flitwick stared at him for a moment, then turned to Hermione.

"Professor Black?"

"It's up to you, Filius" Hermione replied "But you can trust everyone in this room with your life - they would never do anything to betray or hurt you" He paused, then nodded.

"Very well - do your spell"

"Filius Flitwick, do you agree to keep our secrets?" Sally asked, holding up her wand.

"I do"

"Abracadabra" She tapped him on the head, to the amusement of the rest of the group "Excellent!" She turned back to Andy "Boss - if you'd like to fill him in, Harry and I will go to The Ministry" Andy nodded, and - to accompanying gasp of surprise from Flitwick, Harry and Sally transformed in to Gilbert and Anne, then turned and vanished in to the floo. Flitwick stared after them, then turned back to Andy, letting his eyes look over the rest of the group.

"The Western Sky?" He asked faintly.

"I guess we have some explaining to do" Hermione grinned at him "It all started a few years ago....."

xoxox

"What in the name of god could you possibly want right now?" Tonks stared at Harry and Sally as they walked in to her office.

"In a little over thirty-five hours, every single person in Hogwarts will be dead" Sally said simply. Tonks stared at her for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Harry.

"I realise I am probably not entirely awake, but is there any chance your wife isn't being serious?"

"Hermione, Sally and I all had the same dream - a horde of infiri are coming to Hogwarts. They'll be here just after sunset tomorrow, and unless we can adequately protect the school, they will sweep through the castle like ants through the jungle" He looked at her seriously "We believe we, along with the remaining members of The Order, can protect the school and stop the invasion, but there are good odds the horde will have to come through....."

"Hogsmeade" The colour drained from Tonks' face "How big is this horde?"

"We're not sure" Sally admitted "But it could fill the quidditch pitch twice over with some to spare"

"Merlin!" Tonks stood up and started pacing back and forth "We can't defend the town - not against that size of attack"

"We thought as much" Harry nodded "But I don't have the authority to order a complete evacuation. I mean - I could try, and given our history" He gestured to Sally "People might listen, but it would be better coming from you, and from Amelia"

"I will talk to her in the morning....."

"You can't wait until morning" Harry insisted "If they strike Hogwarts tomorrow at sunset, they'll be in the town by lunchtime. If you're going to get the entire town evacuated...."

"Okay, okay" Tonks held her hand up in surrender "I will go and wake Minister Bones now, and tell her we need to start the evacuation by 10am"

"Thank you" Harry and Sally stood up together "We're going back to The Compound, to continue working on the plan for the school"

"I take it Professor Black is going to be helping?"

"More like we'll be helping her - she and her parents have a far better grasp of strategy than anyone in our little band"

"Will you require any help at the castle?"

"I think we'll need all the help we can get, but evacuating the town....."

"I know" Tonks nodded "I'll let you know when it's under way" She paused "We're also going to have to send out a few spotters to see if we can find what direction they're coming from"

"Makes sense" Sally nodded, then reached in to her pocket and tossed her a small crystal "We've set up a specific communication frequency to deal with this, so you can get in touch at once with no interference"

"Thanks" Tonks looked at it "I guess I should go talk to The Minister"

"Have fun" Harry smirked, and Tonks rolled her eyes.

xoxox

Harry and Sally jumped out of the floo in to the middle of what appeared to be a full scale screaming match.

"You can't be serious!" Remus, Susan and Flitwick were staring at Andy, Hermione and her parents.

"It might be the only way!" Claire replied "From what Minnie tells us, these.... zombies are incredibly resistant to magic"

"We can use explosive charms and fire" Susan replied "That should deal with them"

"But from long distance?" Arnold asked "Unless we're going to be fighting at very close quarters, won't they lose their effectiveness?"

"Yes...." Remus said uncertainly.

"And how are Andy, Claire and I going to help?" Arnold continued, causing Hermione to gasp in surprise, and Andy to let out a small laugh.

"I kind of learned to do some magic recently" He said, looking sheepish "Long story, which I will be happy to explain later, but Arnold does have a point - they can't use magic"

"What makes you think they'll be there?" Hermione snapped, turning back to her parents "You can't be serious!"

"You summoned The Order of V, daughter of mine" Claire looked at her "The entire Order, of which we are still a part"

"But...."

"And do you think we're going to let you stand in front of an army of doom alone?" Arnold added. Hermione's gaze flicked between the two of them, then she turned to Sally.

"Sally - tell them they can't do this"

"Sorry, Minnie, but I'm keeping out of this" Sally grinned as Hermione threw her arms up in the air in defeat "But what are you arguing about?"

"Claire, Arnold and Andy believe we should be using guns to kill the infiri" Susan said darkly "Even the wizards"

"And?" Harry asked, causing Remus to stare at him in disbelief.

"Wizards don't use guns" His former teacher told him "It's just not done"

"And letting a thousand or so infiri feast on eight hundred children is?"

"Sarcasm accomplishes nothing, Harry" Susan snapped at him. Harry stared at her for a second, biting back the first response that came to his lips.

"What's the alternative?" Sally looked at each of the wizards who were protesting the plan "The DMLE is going to be evacuating Hogsmeade, and as Uncle Arnold pointed out, the few curses we can use wouldn't be much use at long range" She glanced at Andy "Even the stuff we learned in Albion has to be done at close range if it's to have any real affect"

"But...." Susan started again, and Sally held her hand up.

"If you want, we can leave The Order out of it, and just have the eight of us doing the fighting. Since we are not under the laws of the UK, we can do what we want" She paused, then let a slight smirk cross her lips "I have to say - I never took you for staunch traditionalists" She heard Harry and Hermione snort in amusement as looks of horror crossed Remus and Susan's faces, while Flitwick let out a short laugh.

"Are you attempting to bait me, young lady?" Susan stared at her daughter.

"Yes" Sally smirked "Is it working?"

"There's something else you should consider" Flitwick said before either Susan or Remus could reply "Whether or not we are willing to use guns is somewhat moot since very few of us actually know how to use them" He looked around as Remus, Susan, Sirius and Eric all nodded.

"We can fix that" Luna smiled "And we can provide all the guns and ammunition we need" She glanced at Hermione "What's it to be, Headmistress?" Hermione took a breath, then turned to Remus, Flitwick and Susan.

"I understand your position, and to be honest I am not a big fan of guns myself" She paused "Having said that, these monsters are coming for my children, and I'm not going to shy away from using any method to stop them just because it might offend my sensibilities" She paused again "Or anyone else's"

"But...."

"If I do everything I can to defend the school, and we lose, then I will be able to face the parents and tell them we did everything we could" She said seriously "But if I chose not to allow guns, and there is a massacre...." She trailed off "I'm sorry, but I can't do that" She turned to Andy "I would like you to arm everyone who's going to be a part of the team, and give instruction to people who need it" Andy nodded formally, then turned to Remus, Susan and Flitwick.

"We're not going to force guns on anyone who doesn't want them, but for those who do, we can transfer the basic knowledge and skills you need to use them" He said quietly "And we can arrange the deployment of everyone to ensure all your talents are used properly, whether you're armed or not" Remus glanced at his wife, then turned back to the head of The Western Sky.

"We're not happy, but Minnie is right - if we refuse, and it makes the difference...." He shook his head "Tell us what to do" Andy smiled at them, then looked at the group as a whole.

"Okay - this is what I was thinking...."

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

Amelia Bones stood at the end of Hogsmeade Street, and lifted her wand to her throat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Minister Bones. Under the authority of the Emergency Powers Directive, I am ordering the evacuation of the town for the next two days. You will all be rehoused in Diagon Alley, at The Ministry's expense, and allowed to return once the danger has past" She paused "The Aurors will begin to evacuate you in half an hour - take only what you need" She cancelled the spell and turned to Tonks.

"This is not an optional evacuation, Director, and you and your Aurors have permission to stun anyone who doesn't want to come"

"Stun?"

"Yes - stun. No offensive curses, and no unforgivables. These are scared, innocent victims, not violent criminals"

"Yes boss" Tonks nodded "Any word from the spotters?"

"Not yet, but I wouldn't expect much for twenty minutes or so" Amelia glanced at her watch "How is the defensive plan going?"

"We're going to station two Aurors at each building, depending which direction they're coming from, but to be honest, we're only going to try to slow them up, and pick off one or two if we can"

"You're not going to try to stop them?" Amelia asked in surprise.

"Do you really think we could, Minister?" Tonks replied seriously "If the numbers Gilbert and Anne gave us are correct - and I've got no reason to doubt them - standing up to them would get us all killed" She saw Amelia open her mouth, but cut her off "Don't get me wrong - my Aurors and I know that's always a possibility, and we're all prepared for that, but this...." She shook her head "I'm not going to order my people to die for no reason, Minister - not to defend property"

"Very well" Amelia nodded "I take it you're going to order me back to the Ministry?"

"Or The Compound, if Fred permits it" Tonks smiled "I know you can take care of yourself, but you are The Minister, and it is not your job any more" Amelia held up her hands.

"You'll get no argument from me, Director - once the evacuation is under way, I'll return to The Ministry and wait for the reports from the spotters" She glanced up at the castle "Do you know how they're doing?"

"Gilbert said they had a plan, and were going to spend the morning training"

"Training? Really?"

"It's what he said" Tonks shrugged "He seemed fairly confident they could stop the infiri before they enter the castle, if not the grounds"

xoxox

"Close your eyes" Luna sat opposite Remus, wand in hand "Now - I want you to think about a transfiguration lesson with Professor McGonagall. She is teaching you how to change a hedgehog in to a goblet. Can you see it?"

"Yes" Remus nodded. Luna lifted her wand and pointed it between his eyes.

"Etalas numero duta" She whispered, and a beam of soft, white light came out of his wand and struck Remus. She held it for about a minute, then dropped her wand "How do you reload a standard shot-gun?"

"Flick the barrel down, eject the cartridges, put the new ones in and slam it back in to place" Remus' eyes shot open.

"What is the maximum range for the Walton Sub?"

"Fifty feet, pending weather and other factors"

"And how many shots in a mag?"

"Three hundred" Remus finished, then looked at Luna in awe "Can you do this with everything?"

"Most non-magical things, yes" Luna smiled back at him "It doesn't work for magical knowledge - at least not spells and so on - because this doesn't transfer the understanding of how it works"

"And to cast the more complicated spells, you need to understand the theory behind them" Remus nodded understandingly, then looked over to his wife "Your turn, love"

Sally, watching from the doorway, turned and walked in to the other room, where Prue, Andy and Andrew were looking over hand drawn maps of Hogwarts.

"What have we got?" She asked, and Andy looked up.

"Three pronged attack" He gestured to the map "The first group - made up of the best shooters - on the battlements. We have the guns to shoot from there, and we can do a lot of damage to the horde"

"Second group is on the ground, defending the doors" Prue continued "This is made up of the less good shooters, and those who will be using magical attacks. Their sole purpose is to defend the doors, and they will all have portkeys to escape if they need to"

"The third is fire rings" Andrew finished "We set up rings of petrol and paraffin around the grounds, that can be ignited with incendio spells"

"Won't they get out of control?" Harry frowned "I'm pretty sure if we burn down the castle, Hermione will get a bit mad at us"

"We can put wards up around the places we put the petrol, so that fire, or anything on fire, won't pass them" Andrew smiled "The idea is we use groups one and two to herd the horde..... ok - not going to use that phrase again - to push the horde in to the flame circles, at which point they'll be trapped and burning"

"Wow" Harry grinned "I take it there's another plan?" He looked at Andy, who nodded.

"If it becomes necessary, we can activate the secondary wards, and ignite the whole of the grounds" He said "Obviously that is our second choice - the damage it would do would take forever to repair, not to mention the potential for it getting out of control"

"But it would pretty much ensure the utter destruction of the horde" Harry nodded "Okay - lets go with the first, and I'd have to check with Minnie about the second. If we're going to wreak untold damage on her school, we should at least warn her first"

"She wanted to see you and Sally anyway" Prue looked up at him "She says she has a favour to ask of both of you"

xoxox

"Young Prudence said you required our presence?" Harry and Sally walked in to Hermione's office, then stopped at the sounds of a loud argument.

"You can't do that - it flies in the face of everything Hogwarts stands for" A portrait yelled from the wall.

"I thought Hogwarts stood for whatever the Headmistress says it stands for" Hermione snapped back, then pointed to her left "Isn't that was Mr Nigellus was saying?"

"Phineas is a bigoted idiot" The first Headmaster yelled, causing Phineas to sputter in objection.

"Look - whether you object or not, I am doing this" Hermione yelled, then turned to see Harry and Sally looking at her in amusement "Oh - hi"

"Having fun?" Sally smiled, causing Hermione to blush.

"My illustrious predecessors and I were disagreeing over my plan to defend the school" She replied, sitting back down at her desk "They think I am flying in the face of thousands of years of history, and it will bring about the end of the world"

"Because of the guns?"

"No - surprisingly they don't care about the guns" Hermione shrugged "Seems they think that a mudblood wouldn't know any better about using non-magical weapons"

"So what are they objecting to?"

"I want to link you and Sally in to the wards" She giggled as their mouths fell open "Andy gave me an outline of the secondary plan - where we torch the grounds - and it will require someone to keep a watch on the Hogwarts' wards"

"And you can't do that?"

"No - I can, and I can do it well" Hermione looked affronted, then added in a softer voice "But not if I'm dead"

"Ah" Sally nodded "Are there any side-effects to us?"

"No, but once we're done I'll unbind you - to avoid future complications"

"Obviously" Harry grinned "How long will this take?"

"Oh - I did it just before you arrived. It's what caused the argument with my friends over here" She gestured to the former Headmasters "They worked out what I was doing, and decided to voice their protests quite passionately"

"Bad portraits!" Sally wagged her fingers at them, then turned back to Hermione "Was that all?"

"No" She glanced at Harry "I need you"

"As long as you have him back by dawn, you can have him" Sally smirked, causing Hermione to laugh.

"As tempting as that might be, that's not what I meant" She smirked as Harry rolled his eyes "Our entire plan is based on stopping the infiri getting in to the school. But, as my mother has pointed out a number of times, most plans do not survive contact with the enemy"

"So you are planning for them to get in?" Harry paused "You know what I mean"

"We can lock down the common rooms, but the protections aren't as good as I'd like" Hermione leaned back in her chair "Same for The Great Hall, or even the dungeons"

"So...."

"I want Harry to open The Chamber of Secrets" She said with a smile "We can convert it in to a barracks, for want of a better phrase, and put all the children down there for the duration of the battle"

"Makes sense" Sally nodded "Infiri won't be able to get in to the tunnel, and even if they do, they won't get in to The Chamber itself"

"We're also going to create four hundred or so portkeys, all transporting to The Ministry" Hermione continued "Sort of a backup for the backup" She saw Sally and Harry exchange glances "What?"

"We'd like to ask you a favour" Harry sat down in front of the desk, and folded his hands in his lap "We'd like to bring all of our kids here - to the school"

"Since every member of The Order, and The Western Sky, is going to be defending the school...." Sally started, but Hermione held up her hand.

"I will ensure they are looked after" She smiled "Rob is going to be there as well - Viktor refuses to let me do this on my own"

"Husbands do worry so, don't they?" Sally smirked, as Sally frowned "How do you want us to bring the children?"

"Probably best by floo, around lunch time" Hermione glanced up at the clock on the far wall "Sunset is around 4ish, so that will give us enough time to get set up"

"I'll let the others know" Harry smiled, standing up "Thank you, Min - we'll owe you for this"

"Well - prevent the infiri from wrecking my school, and we'll call it even" Harry smiled back, then turned go.

Before they reached the door, there was a ping from his pocket. He pulled out his flute, and tapped it twice.

"The spotters reported back. Fifteen hundred infiri, coming from the north east. They are travelling as a group, and from the best estimates, our prediction of sunset will hold true" Andy's voice paused, then he continued "The bad news is they're going to come through Hogsmeade, but Director Tonks has informed me the evacuation has been completed - it's now a completely empty town" He paused again "The best estimate is that they will hit the town at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon, and take two hours to go through it" The flute fell silent, leaving the three friends staring at each other.

"We should go" Harry glanced at the fireplace "May we?"

xoxox

The next twenty four hours passed in a blur of training, preparing and warding.

And before they knew it, Harry, Sally and Hermione found themselves on the battlements, staring over the grounds to Hogsmeade in the distance.

"When...." Hermione started, but fell silent as a number of red jets of light shot in to the sky, exploding in to giant red Vs.

"It's started" Andy said "Get ready"

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

 _A student learns of her future_

A fifth year girl looks up at Hermione and Prue, shaking her head.

 _But someone takes an interest in her_

Three men kneel before Draco, as he listens to what they say.

 _And things soon come to a head_

A white flash of light engulfs Hogwarts, while the castle itself shakes to its foundations.

 _Find out what happens in "Respect For Your Elders", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

"Director, we can't hold out much longer" Tonks turned round as one of her Aurors ran up to her "We've lost three, and ten more have been injured and portkeyed to St Mungo's"

"Okay" Tonks nodded "Sound the retreat, but pull them back to the approach road"

"We're not going to keep fighting?"

"No - we just have to keep them on the road, going to Hogwarts" Tonks stared back at the castle "Headmistress Black has made sure that any infiri that walks in to the grounds won't walk out, so we have to make sure they all get there"

"Yes boss" The Auror nodded, then turned and bounded down the street. A few moments later, a bright white ball of light exploded in the air. Tonks nodded approvingly, then pulled out the flute she'd been given.

"We're getting over run here, so I've called for a retreat. We'll line the Hogwarts road so none wanders off the path, but we're stopping the fight now, before we are wiped out"

"Acknowledged" Andy's voice replied "We'll see you soon"

xoxox

Andy closed the flute down, and turned to the rest of the group. The rest of The Western Sky were all under glamours, along with Sirius, and every mage was carrying a machine gun, a shot-gun and a pistol.

"We have half an hour at most" He turned to Hermione "Are all the children safe?"

"Yes, sir" She nodded seriously "The Chamber has been sealed, with a ward set up to warn Sprout and Pomfrey if the outer defences fall, or if we all die" She saw Andy smirk "I know, but since Harry is the only one who can open The Chamber, I didn't want to be responsible for walling eight hundred children up in an underground chamber and making them starve to death"

"That would probably suck" Andy nodded, then turned to Arnold "You should take your team down now, but remember - stay by the doors"

"Yes, sir" Arnold replied, then turned to Remus, Sirius, Eric, Luna, Tara and Susan "Lets go" The seven of them turned and walked out of the hall.

"Tim - you and Abby check and double check the fire wards. I know you have done it already, but I do not want to accidentally burn down the Forbidden Forest because we overlooked something simple"

"Yes, boss" Andrew and Pansy sprinted out of the hall, leaving the rest to face Andy.

"We know which way they are coming, and we know when they'll be here" He paused "Don't open fire until they get with in the first circle - the guns won't do any damage before then"

"I've also cast a spell on the Arnold's team" Sally volunteered "Since it is going to be dark soon I have ensured they'll glow, so we don't mistake them for the infiri"

"Something they'll be glad for, no doubt" Andy smiled, then glanced at his watch "Time to go - we split in to two groups and attack from the two towers" He glanced at Hermione "Are the wards ready?"

"Yes, sir" Hermione nodded again, glancing at Harry and Sally "If we need to, we can bring up the fiendfyre wards at a moment's notice, and put the other plan in to action" She paused "I suppose I should have checked, but my dad and his group all have portkeys?"

"They do - and if we need to, we'll trigger them and send them to The Chamber" Andy took a breath, then picked up his machine gun "We few"

"We happy few" Claire smiled back at him, then looked at the others, who were staring at them "What?"

xoxox

Twenty minutes later, Andy's flute burst in to life, with three simple words.

"They're past us" It fell silent again, and Andy closed his eyes, whispering a single, silent prayer. Then, raising his wand to his throat, he spoke.

"CODE BLUE! BLUE! Five minutes!" A few seconds later, the replies came back, and Andy smiled.

"Bring it!"

xoxox

Remus and Susan stared in to the twilight, then they, along with the others, raised their guns.

"Remember - no volley and thunder" Arnold said, resting his gun against his shoulder "Tim, Abbey - fire spells"

"Yes sir" They replied in unison, raising their wands. After a private talk with Andy, at which he'd explained he wasn't a big fan of guns after Tara's murder, he and Pansy had been assigned fire and warding duty - to ensure that none of the infiri would escape.

"Everyone got their portkeys?" Everyone nodded, and Arnold turned back to face the gates, and realised that there was a lot more shadow than before.

"Here they come"

xoxox

Amelia looked up as Tonks walked in to her office.

"It's started" She said softly "I've pulled all of my Aurors out"

"How many did we lose?"

"Three during the defence of the town - Smith and Jones were caught by surprise, and Tyler died saving Benson and Little" Tonks sighed "We lost another four on the road to Hogwarts - we were trying to keep the infiri on the road, and the Brent twins, Cranstel and Eston were all swept aside by the tide"

"Oh Merlin" Amelia dropped her head in to her hands.

"We've also got another thirty two in St Mungo's - eleven serious" Tonks paused "Can we second some of the unspeakables if we need them?"

"I've already spoken to Agent X, and he has put a dozen of his agents at our disposal, both for this operation and the next fortnight or so" She smiled "I also have some other good news"

"Really?" Tonks looked at her in surprise "Is it all over?"

"Erm - no" Amelia shook her head "We haven't heard anything since the attack started. My guess is that Fred and Headmistress Black are probably too busy to talk to us, and that the first we'll know is when it's over - one way or the other"

"So what's the good news?"

"Miss Lovegood-Potter and Professor Krum-Black have both said their Houses will be happy to help rebuild Hogsmeade, both committing at least five thousand galleons each to start with" She couldn't help laughing at the shock that appeared on her friend's face.

"This is going to really piss Marchbanks off" Tonks said after a few minutes "Not so much Luna - The House of Potter has always been somewhat.... unorthodox, but The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black giving away its money to charity?" She shook her head in amusement "I take it you accepted their offer?"

"In a heartbeat" Amelia nodded with a smile "I don't expect them to finance the whole thing, but depending on how bad the damage was, we might need their help to get the town up and running again as soon as possible" She sighed, then fell silent.

"Minister?"

"Just worried" She paused "Since all the infiri are now in Hogwarts, I don't suppose I could...."

"If you try to leave this office, I will stun you and tie you up" Tonks said in a matter of fact voice.

"Just checking" She paused "So - how do you think it's going?"

xoxox

"So how do you think it's going?" Pandora looked up at the roof of The Chamber of Secrets, then looked over to where Elwyn was reading one of text books.

"Pretty well most likely" Elwyn smiled back at her, causing Dora to stare at her in confusion.

"How do you know?" She asked curiously, and Elwyn shrugged.

"We're still here" She gestured around The Chamber "If Minnie or Dad thought it was going to end seriously badly, we would have been sent to The Ministry by now" Pandora tilted her head to one side, then nodded.

"I suppose" She said thoughtfully, then added "So what do you think they're doing?"

xoxox

Andy, Prue, Harry, Sally, Claire, Hermione, Viktor and Flitwick are stood on the battlements, all firing shotguns down in to the horde.

"Team 1 - Report" Andy called out, not stopping his rate of fire.

"Team 2 - this is Team 1" Arnold's voice floated back to him "You're keeping the infiri at bay, and they can't retreat due to the fire" He paused "We haven't had to engage yet"

"Team 1 - very good. We'll try to make sure it stays that way" Andy smiled, then closed the connection, still continuing firing.

xoxox

"Why are we not helping?" Paul Robertson was pacing back and forth in The Chamber, talking to Poppy Pomfrey "Why aren't we out there fighting?"

"You know why, Paul" Poppy smiled sympathetically "The Headmistress said she was collaborating with The Western Sky and The Order of V, and that they work better without...." She paused, then shook her head "They work better without the interference of amateurs"

"Normally I would be insulted, but after seeing them deal with Snape, Umbridge and the rest last year, I suppose they can take care of themselves" Paul shrugged, then looked around "What are they doing here?" Poppy turned to see a few children sat in a tight circle.

"They are some of the kids from the area - friends of the Headmistress" Poppy smiled fondly "She said they could wait here, as a group, rather than being sent away to The Ministry"

"Oh" He frowned, then shrugged and looked up "So - how do you think it's going?"

xoxox

"Team 2 - we are going to apparate behind them" Arnold snapped off the message in to the flute, then, when Andy replied positively, he turned to the rest of his group "Remus, Luna, Rick - on my mark, go to behind the group and open up with all you have. Pansy, go with them as protection"

"Yes, boss" All four replied, then he turned back to face the on coming hall.

"Three. Two. One. MARK!"

xoxox

Harry and Sally both watched as the four members of Team 2 appeared behind the line of infiri still marching forward.

Seconds laster, as they opened fire with the most powerful sub-machine guns available, inifiri after inifiri fell to the ground. The three shooters walked forward, pressing their advantage, while the fourth...

"Pansy - on protection" Sally supplied "Arnold wouldn't want them to be out there alone"

....stood less than a step behind them.

"They're doing well" Harry remarked, then, holding his fire for a second, he gestured up and down the line "The infiri near the back are turning - the horde is splitting up"

"Do you think they're in danger?" Sally glanced down the battlements to where Andy was still shooting continually.

"Not at the moment, but I think I'll have to talk to Andy. Can you keep an eye on them?"

"Of course" She nodded, and he sprinted off down the line, coming to a halt behind Andy.

"Boss - Sally and I want to go down to re-enforce Remus' team" He said quickly "The horde has noticed, and with only Pansy on protection...."

"Go" Andy nodded, without breaking fire "Make sure you're both covered by the light spell, so we don't accidentally blow your heads off"

"Wouldn't want that" Harry grinned, then bounded back to where Sally stood.

"Andy's given us permission to go down and support them, as long as we appear behind them, we let Remus know and we have the light spell on" He pulled out his wand, and tapped her on the head "Do me?" She smirked at him and opened her mouth "Not the time, sweetie"

"Of course" She nodded, then pulled out her wand and tapped him "Okay - we're ready" He nodded, and they both found themselves staring at the back of Pansy's head. Reflexively, they brought up their guns, and - marching forward - started shooting in unison with the others.

xoxox

"Guess the re-enforcements came" Arnold smiled as the sound of thunder doubled from across the swarm of infiri.

"Are they close enough for us to move out?" Susan asked, looking around as she fired.

"Not just yet - there's a chance some of them could flank us, and I don't want to be caught in a crush" Arnold shook his head, then, at the look of worry on her face "I know you're worried about the others - so am I. But if it helps, it'll be five minutes - ten at the outside, then we can advance and start fencing them in"

"Okay" She nodded reluctantly, then turned back and continued firing.

xoxox

"Minister - first report from Hogwarts" Tonks bounded in to Amelia's office, waving a piece of paper. Amelia jumped to her feet, not even caring that Tonks hadn't knocked.

"What's it say?" She asked urgently.

"The Order, The Western Sky and some of the staff have engaged the horde. All the infiri are now inside the bounds, and the first ring of fire spells are burning" Tonks grinned "The current situation seems to be that the infiri are all controlled, and being slowly eliminated as we speak"

"Good" Amelia nodded, then paused "When can we start the return to Hogsmeade?"

"Honestly?" Tonks paused thoughtfully, then continued "I wouldn't do it before the battle at Hogwarts ends. And if it ends too late, I would wait until daylight, so we aren't sending people back in the dark"

"You think they'll be worry? Panic?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"I'd never thought of it" Amelia admitted "But I take your point" She glanced at her watch "Six o'clock?" She looked up at her Director again "It's only six o'clock?"

"Time flies" Tonks shrugged "Anyway - now that we are sure the infiri are confined, I have set up a forward base in Hogsmeade again, where we can monitor, and if you would like to...." She stopped as Amelia jumped to her feet "I'd take that as a yes, then?"

xoxox

"Team 1 - it's time" Arnold's voice floated down the line, and everyone smiled.

"Minnie, Vik, Filius - stay here and watch our backs" Andy said with a slight grin "If we lose control, start phase 3"

"Even with you...."

"Even then" Andy nodded, all trace of humour gone "The rest of you, come with me to the doors"

"Yes, boss" He watched as they vanished in sequence, until only Hermione, Viktor and Flitwick were left.

"I mean it Professor Black - if it looks like we're lost, don't hesitate" Hermione stared at him mutinously for a moment, then nodded.

"I won't, Fred" She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek "Take care of them, okay?"

"Count on it" He took a step back, then vanished.

xoxox

They reappeared next to the school doors, to find Arnold waiting for them.

"Once more unto the beech?" Eric smiled at them.

"More or less" Andy smirked, then turned to Arnold "Ready to go?"

"Ready and willing" Arnold nodded, then the whole group turned and faced the oncoming swarm "Lets do it!"

xoxox

"This is taking too long" Elywn had given up reading, and was pacing back and forth, while Dora, Ella, Sirius and Susan watched her.

"Do you think we should go out and help?" Dora asked, standing up. Ella, Sirius and Susan followed her lead.

"Can we get past the teachers?" Susan peered down the length of The Chamber.

"Can anyone speak like Daddy can?" Sirius asked "So we can open the door?" They all paused, then sat down again with disconsolate looks on their faces.

"It is probably for the best" A mild voice came from above them "You mother would kill me if I let you roam the grounds at this time of night" They all span round as Hermione appeared behind them in a flash of soft blue light.

"Aunty Minnie!" Ella jumped up and flung her arms round Hermione's legs. The rest of her friends followed her, and a moment later, Hermione collapsed under the weight of the hugs she was receiving.

"Okay guys - I missed you too, but I have to talk to the rest of the teachers now, and see about getting you all home" She gently extracted herself from the pile of children, and then transported herself to the far end of The Chamber "IF I MAY HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?" She yelled, causing the entire Chamber to fall quiet and turn to stare at her.

xoxox

"We're done" Harry appeared behind Tonks and Amelia in the command post they'd set up "Every single infiri is dead, and Headmistress Black is, as we speak, extracting the children from The Chamber"

"It's over?"

"The grounds are closed for twenty four hours to take care of the clean up - the sight of two thousand charred infiri corpses is probably not what the first years need to see any time soon" Harry smiled grimly "But that aside, we're done"

"Any injuries?"

"None serious" Harry smiled, then glanced down as the crystal in his hand glowed once "If you'll excuse me, the kids are asking for me"

xoxox

"So we don't know why they came, who sent them, where they came from or why they picked Hogwarts?" Sally asked Andy as Hermione started to bring the kids back in to the school.

"Nope" He shook his head "But never mind - it's over for now, and I think there's someone who wants to see you" She turned, and a moment later was swamped by her three children, flinging their arms around her. She looked up in to Andy's eyes, and smiled.

"Come on kids - lets go home"

 _(end of act 3)_


	9. Respect For Your Elders

Sitting bolt upright in bed, she looked around, an expression of utter puzzlement on her face.

"These dreams are definitely getting stranger" She said to herself. Then, glancing at her clock, she laid back down, and pulled the covers over herself. A moment later, she was asleep again.

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 9 : Respect For Your Elders_

 _Guest Staring : Piper Halliwell, Leo Wyatt, Phoebe Halliwell, Coop, Paige Matthews, Henry Mitchell, Filius Flitwick, Paul Robertson, Katie McNeil and Draco Malfoy_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

"Minister Bones has requested your presence" Andy and Prue came to a halt as they walked in to Harry's kitchen.

"Did she say way?" Prue asked as Sally handed them each a cup of coffee.

"Something about visiting mages from the States" Sally replied, sitting down at the table "They require assistance in dealing a problem at Hogwarts, and Amelia has suggested you two should be able to help them"

"Why us?" Andy frowned "I mean - neither of us went to Hogwarts...."

"I think that might be why she asked for you" Sally smiled "The vast majority of students who went there are devoted to the school, and if they are going to take a student away, then they'd object" She paused, then grinned "And Harry, Luna, Pansy and I are unlikely to be unbiased about it either - even with Minnie in charge we still have reservations about the way magic is taught"

"Where as Andrew, Andy and I have no pre-made impressions" Prue nodded, then turned to her husband "Shall we?"

"Dora will be in class for a little while, so - why not" He shrugged. Together they walked out of Harry's house and in to the yard, then both turned on the spot and vanished.

xoxox

"Are you sure this girl is the one you have come for, Miss Halliwell?" Amelia leaned forward "Taking someone away from Hogwarts is not inconsiderable"

"All of the records, all of the signs and all of the portents show that Miss McNeil is the girl we have come for" Leo Wyatt nodded seriously "She is about to come in to her powers, and when she does, she will need guidance"

"You don't think we can guide her?" Amelia asked curiously, with no hint of accusation.

"Hogwarts is a fine magic school" Piper said with polite smile "However even the best institute in the world would not be able to help or guide Miss McNeil once she becomes...." She trailed off as there was a knock at the door. Amelia stood up and walked over, opening the door.

"Fred, Mabel - come in" She smiled as Andy and Prue walked in, then took a deep breath "If I could introduce Miss Piper Halliwell and her husband, Leo Wyatt" She paused as her two guests came to a sudden stop.

"Miss Halliwell, Mr Wyatt" Andy nodded politely, then, taking Prue's hand, walked to the other two chairs in the office and together they sat down.

"Thank you for coming" Amelia walked round behind her desk and sat down "Miss Halliwell has come from San Francisco to ask leave to take one of Professor Krum-Black's students out of Hogwarts, and back to America with them"

"Why?" Andy asked, glancing across at the two Americans. Leo glanced at Amelia, who nodded.

"This has to stay in complete confidence" He said quietly "We believe the student we are looking for is a young lady named Katie McNeil. She's just under 16 years old, and, as you can guess, attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" He paused "We also believe that, the day after she turns 16, she will come in to her powers as one of The Elders of The Whitelighters" He turned as Prue gasped in surprise.

"You've heard of Whitelighters?" Piper asked in surprise, glancing at her husband.

"In our job, it's good to know a lot of things" Prue smiled in return "Whitelighters are people who guide future witches and wizards, right?"

"Yes" Leo nodded "They are.... angelically good souls who have devoted their lives to the good of humanity, and as a reward...."

"They get to keep doing it for the rest of time?" Andy asked with a smirk, causing both Leo and Piper to laugh.

"From a certain point of view, I can see how it seems like that, but it is a honour and a privilege" Leo smiled.

"And Katie is being picked at the age of 15?" Prue frowned "How can she be so good and virtuous at the age of 15?" She glanced at Amelia "Please tell me The Headmistress isn't corrupting the youth of Britain that much!"

"The Elders of The Whitelighters are slightly different" Piper laughed "They aren't chosen because of the way they've lived their lives - instead they are selected in one of two ways"

"They can be chosen by election from the current group of Whitelighters, but that is done in an emergency" Leo said "The last one chosen like that..... didn't end well" He blushed slightly.

"The other way is that they are born to be Whitelighters" Piper said quickly, covering for her husband's embarrassment "Once in a generation, a child will be born that has within them the power, the knowledge, the wisdom and the gravitas of an Elder" She sighed "Generally they are not told until they are chosen - usually near the end of their lives"

"So why now?" Andy leaned forward "Is Katie going to die?"

"No" Leo shook his head urgently "However all the signs point to a serious danger in her future. That someone else - someone who would use her power for evil - is is looking for her, and if they find her, the balance of power in the world will change for ever - and for the worse"

"Oh" Prue leaned back "Any idea who?"

"Not a clue" Piper admitted "Which is why we asked for help from The Ministry, and - I understand - why they asked you here"

"I thought that given the diversity of your team, Fred, you might be able to provide some help to Miss Halliwell and her sisters in protecting young Katie until she can be taken to safety"

"We will do our best" Fred nodded, standing up "Minister Bones - may we speak to you in private?" He walked out of the office, followed by Prue and Amelia. When the door closed, Prue waved her hand to bring up a silencing charm. Once it was done, she nodded to her husband, who turned back to The Minister "What the hell was that?"

"Pardon me?" Amelia glared at him.

"Do you remember what happened when Sabrina met up with her past girlfriend? Do you remember the fireballs? The threats? The near war that broke out?"

"I do" The Minister said quietly "Which is why I thought it best to do this in a confined, controlled space" She glanced at Prue "I realise this was a surprise, but I thought that if I prepared you for all this, it would be better than you coming across The Charmed Ones by accident" She continued to stare at Prue, who, after a moment, nodded.

"I could have done with some warning, but she does have a point, love" She smiled softly "I can't deny seeing them again will be hard, but it will also be kind of fun"

"But we're not going to tell them?" Andy glanced between the two women.

"No" Prue shook her head "I've moved on, they've moved on - it wouldn't do any good" She paused "But we do have to help them. The idea that someone could corrupt an Elder...." She shivered once "No - we have to help them"

"Okay" Andy nodded "If you go back to The Compound, and let the others know we might need them, I'll take Leo and Piper to Hogwarts to talk to Minnie, and see if we can talk to Katie" Prue nodded, gave him a quick kiss, then bounded off towards the floo points.

xoxox

"Master Robertson - we have a job for you" Paul looked up as his mirror came to life, showing a trio of men in hooded robes. He got to his feet and walked over to the mirror.

"You have a job? For me?" He stared at them with a superior smirk "Have you forgotten your place?"

"No, my Lord" One of the figures replied "However you are best placed to complete this task, and while we could try, we would likely fail"

"Very well - continue" Paul nodded.

"A student at your school, Miss Katie McNeil, has become of interest. All the signs suggest she is going to become a major power within the next fortnight - we are not quite sure why, but the signs and portents suggest that whoever could gain control over her could control the future of magic itself" The hooded man stopped as Paul's eyes went wide.

"She is that powerful?" He racked his brains, trying to remember who this McNeil girl was. Eventually he came up with a small fifth year girl, who'd never been up to much magically "Really?"

"The forces of good are already moving, my Lord, and if we fail to act - if we lose this chance - then we will come to regret it"

"Okay" Paul nodded "I will summon her to my office as soon as possible, and find out how much of what you have told me is true, and will let you know" He paused "Do you know who these forces of good might be?"

"No, my Lord" The robed figure shook its head.

"Then find out" He snapped, then, wiping his hand across the mirror, he turned and summoned a roll of parchment.

xoxox

"We're going to be working with The Charmed Ones?" Luna's eyes went wide in amazement, then paused and looked back to Prue "Oh - this is going to be hard for you, isn't it?"

"Probably, yes" Prue admitted, smiling slightly "But don't let that dim your excitement - I know how much you and Tara will enjoy this"

"Thanks" Luna grinned "So - what are we going to do?"

"Once Andy, Piper and Leo make contact with Katie, and they can see how close she is to manifesting, a few of us will have a talk with her, and convince her to go with my sisters" Prue paused "If we can't do that before she comes in to her power then we might need a few more of The Sky to make sure we can control her"

"Control?" Luna raised her eyebrows sceptically.

"Not in a dominating way, but in a lets-try-to-avoid-the-end-of-the-world way" Prue grinned as Luna went pale "An out of control Elder is truly dangerous"

"I am getting that" Luna blinked a few times "When are you starting?"

"They're going to talk to her after the evening meal" Prue glanced at her watch "About three hours or so from now"

"Okay - I'll let Tara know" Luna smiled "This is going to make her day"

xoxox

"Professor Robertson?" Paul looked round as the door to his office opened, and Katie McNeil came in.

"Thank you for coming, Miss McNeil. Please, have a seat" He smiled politely as she walked over to his desk and sat down "I wanted to talk to you about your last essay - while it was acceptable, I don't believe it is up to Outstanding standards, and with your OWLS coming up, I thought you should know"

"Oh" Katie sat back in her chair, looking curious.

"I have a copy here" He pulled a parchment out of his desk, and held it just out of her reach. She leaned forward, and he raised his wand "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

Katie froze, and Paul leaned forward and stared in to her eyes.

"Legilimens!"

xoxox

"You really have to take her away?" Hermione leaned back in her chair and sighed "Sorry - I know you wouldn't be here if it wasn't important, but Miss McNeil is one of my best and brightest - a future Minister or Headmistress" She paused "Which I guess would be explained by this" Andy smiled fondly at her.

"I'm sorry to do this, but if we leave Miss McNeil here, alone and without guidance, then things could go very badly" Leo said softly "We have no desire to ruin her life, Headmistress, but there is no one in this school with the ability to take care of her, or to teach her to use her powers"

"I understand" Hermione nodded "And, while I may be the smartest witch in a generation, I am not so full of myself as to think I can train an angel to guide other angels" She grinned as Leo blushed and Piper laughed "Do you want me to send for her now?"

"No - we can wait until after the evening meal" Piper replied, still laughing "My sisters should be here by then, and I'd rather wait for The Power of Three to be here before we talk to her"

"Of course" Hermione turned to Andy "If you like, you can show them round the school?"

xoxox

"OBLIVIATE!" Katie's eyes went blank as Paul leaned back in his chair, his wand shaking in his hand. The images in the young girl's mind were fascinating and terrifying, and he could see why she was of interest to any number of people. But right now, he had to make sure she wouldn't tell anyone of what he had done.

"You came to discuss the potions paper, and we agreed that I would regrade it, based on the discussions we had" He paused "You then decided to return to your dorm, and have a nap before the evening meal"

"Yes, Professor" She stood up, and walked mechanically out of the room, leaving Paul staring after her in wonder, and not a little terror.

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

"She has more power than I have ever seen" Draco paced back and forth in front of his three associates, then turned on the spot to face them "Not in Dumbledore, not in The Dark Lord, not even in Potter, Granger or Perks" He shook his head in disbelief "If she chose to, this fifteen year old girl could crack the planet in two, and not even know she'd done it"

"So we should recruit her?"

"We can try, but...." Draco trailed off, then shook his head again, this time in annoyance "She's muggle-born, and from all reports and appearances she is staunchly anti-traditionalist"

"So she would not be.... supportive of our stance?"

"To say the least" Draco smirked, then his look turned serious "In addition, she is bright and very smart - if we try to trick her - try to bring her in to this against her will, then I am pretty sure we will regret it" He paused, then sighed "I will talk to her again tonight, but I suspect the only way to prevent her being used by The White Hats is to kill her"

"And you can do that?"

"Yes" Draco nodded "If necessary, I can make it untraceable, undetectable, and painless. She won't even know she's dead until it's too late"

"Make every effort - we need her in our camp, Mr Malfoy"

xoxox

"Phoebe, Paige - over here" Piper waved across the street to her sisters and their husbands.

"Piper!" Phoebe bounded across the road and swept her sister up in a hug "I missed you!" Her husband, Coop, followed her more sedately, while Paige and Henry walked across, looking around.

"Oh calm down" Paige smiled "Piper - was it worth coming?"

"We're going to see Miss McNeil later - the Headmistress didn't want to interfere with her class schedule" Piper nodded "What do you think of the town?"

"It's amazing" Phoebe bounced up and down on her heels "A whole town dedicated to magic - I've never seen anything like it" She turned back to her older sister "What's the school like? Is it like ours?" Leo let out a short laugh.

"Not exactly" Piper said, glancing at her husband "Imagine if our Magic School gained a life of its own, and a bunch of talking pictures to go with it" The two younger sisters both stared in to space for a moment.

"Creepy" Phoebe said after a second.

"Cool" Paige added.

"Anyway - we are due back there in about four hours or so, so Leo and I thought we'd have a look around, maybe get some presents for the kids back home"

"Sounds like a plan" Coop grinned, then looked up the road "Do you know these two?" Piper peered round him, then nodded.

"Anne and Gilbert - they're associates of Fred and Mabel"

"Don't any of these people have second names?" Henry looked down the road curiously.

"Apparently not" Leo shook his head "Their appearances are disguised by spells, and they use those aliases when they're working" He realised Henry was frowning "They all have fairly young children, and don't want what they do professionally to put the kids at risk"

"Ah" Henry nodded "Makes sense"

"I'm glad you approve" Sally came to a halt at the table, Harry a few steps behind "As your sister no doubt told you, I am Anne, and this is my husband Gilbert. We've been asked to escort you around Hogsmeade, then take you back to Hogwarts when Miss McNeil is ready"

"Hello" Phoebe waved at him "Why you?"

"Because Fred and Mabel wanted to spend time with their daughter, and I'm pretty sure that Sabrina and Samantha couldn't do this without squeeeing every two minutes" Harry smirked.

"Squeeing?"

"They are both witches, and consider The Charmed Ones to be rock stars - we thought you'd prefer to do this without groupies"

"You don't think we're rock stars?" Piper asked with an amused smile.

"Oh no, m'am" Sally said "We do, but given our own past, we thought you might like a more low-key approach. If you want we can pull out the pom-poms and cheerleading trolls to give you a proper welcome" The six visitors exchanged confused glances, then Leo shrugged.

"I think we can live without them" He said nonchalantly "So - what do you have in store for our tour?"

xoxox

"Miss McNeil - the Headmistress would like to see you in her office" Katie looked up as Professor Flitwick called out her name.

"Now?" She asked, glancing down at her parchment.

"If you wouldn't mind" The whole class turned to see Hermione stood at the door, smiling slightly.

"Sorry, Professor" Katie slid her parchments in to her bag, then stood up and walked over to the door "I didn't realise...."

"Don't worry about it, Miss McNeil" Hermione smiled fondly "Walk with me?"

"Of course" She fell in to step next to the Headmistress, staying quiet until the Professor decided to talk.

"How've you been?" Hermione asked in a friendly tone.

"Okay, I suppose, Professor" Katie glanced up at her curiously "A few strange dreams recently, and there was the meeting with Professor Robertson this afternoon"

"You met with Professor Robertson?" Hermione creased her brow "What was that about?" Katie didn't reply for a few moments, so Hermione turned to look at her "Katie?"

"It was about...." She furrowed her brow "A... one of my.... oh..." She stopped, then fainted dead away. Hermione dropped to one knee, took Katie's hand, then, pulling out a token from her pocket, tapped it three times. A moment later, they vanished.

A second later they appeared in the infirmary.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Hermione bellowed the name of the matron, and a few seconds later, Poppy came running out of her office.

"Profes..."

"Katie fainted while we were walking to my office. I don't know what's wrong with her" Hermione levitated the young girl to the nearest bed, while the matron bounded over and began to scan her.

xoxox

"Seriously - how do you get by without electricity?" Phoebe was staring around the pub in amusement.

"Hogsmeade and Hogwarts are more.... traditional than a lot of areas" Harry smiled "It bugs me sometimes, but there is a powerful block in government who oppose any modernisation, and the majority of the wizarding world don't care enough to object to it"

"But your houses at The Compound...."

"We are a special group" Sally smirked "We aren't beholden to the Wizengamot, so we can pretty much do what we want" She looked around "Where are Paige and Henry?"

"They stopped at that broom stick place - Henry was kind of interested in the idea of flying" Coop grinned "I didn't have the heart to tell him they only work for magic people"

"That's not entirely true, you know" Coop turned to stare at Harry.

"Really?"

"Brooms recharge themselves from the magic of the person flying them. So that a magical person can fly from Lands' End to John O'Groats without having to recharge the broom"

"So if a non-magical person is flying, the broom will steadily lose power, until it has none?" Coop nodded in understanding "Can they be recharged?"

"I don't see why not" Harry shrugged "Minnie could probably set something up, or if you and Leo want to look in to it...." Coop nodded, then suddenly frowned. Phoebe looked over, then reached out and took his hand.

"What's wrong honey?"

"Something...... something....." He paused, then shook his head "I thought I felt something...."

"A tremor in the force?" Sally asked with a slight smirk, and Coop looked up at her.

"For want of a better phrase, yes" He nodded, causing everyone to turn and stare at him.

xoxox

"What a sweet little cat!" Paige reached down and swept the ginger cat up in her arms, while Henry merely rolled his eyes "Do you think we could take you home?"

"I think they frown on that sort of thing" Henry said from behind her "Importing wild animals, even cute ones, in to the States is somewhat not allowed"

"Awwwww - but she's so cute" Paige snuffled her nose against the cat, which stroked her face with its paw "But I suppose...." She trailed off "Did you feel that?"

xoxox

"What the hell?" Harry jumped to his feet as the floor started shaking. Looking around, he realised the surrounding buildings were shaking as well "Earthquake?"

"I don't think so" Sally raised her hand and pointed up the street. Harry followed her gaze, and his mouth fell open in shock.

xoxox

"Is everyone okay?" Andrew looked around, and - after all the children nodded - he turned to his wife "An earthquake? In Hogsmeade?"

"I don't think so" Pansy looked up from the flute she had been monitoring "Reports say that there was a similar quake in Diagon Ally, The Ministry, Salem College and a few other magical places. Whatever it was - it hit ever major magic site in the world....." She trailed off as the flute flashed again "And, apparently, its epicentre was Hogwarts" She turned and ran outside, staring across to where the school was situated "Good god"

"To say the least" Andrew followed her gaze "Do you think they'll need us?"

"Lets find out"

xoxox

"OW!" Hermione yelled as she landed on her bottom in The Great Hall. A second later, she heard Madam Pomfrey echo her cry.

"Headmistress?" Flitwick walked up beside her, and Hermione looked around. It was the middle of the evening meal, and nearly every student in the school was staring at her in surprise. A moment later, the entire room started shaking.

"Professor - get everyone out of...." Hermione started, but before she could finish speaking, the shaking stopped "... never mind" She looked around "Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, Professor Krum" Came the reply, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Then carry on with your meal. Professor Flitwick, Madam Pomfrey - come with me" She turned and walked out of the door.

xoxox

Five minutes later, she came to a dead halt.

"Well - there's something you don't see every day" She remarked, staring at a solid, white barrier blocking her way.

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

 _Harry's life is turned upside down_

Harry standing face to face with a woman around his age, with messy black hair and shining green eyes.

 _And while politics intervenes_

Harry, Hermione, Luna and this same woman with black hair stand before The Wizengamot.

 _Things are about to get a lot, lot worse_

A young woman with red hair walks in to Madam Marchbanks' Office.

 _Find out what happens in "Hallie Potter, At Your Service", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

"The whole Infirmary?" Andy and Prue, in their Western Sky disguises, sat with The Charmed Ones and their husbands in Hermione's office.

"All the corridors are blocked. We've tried dispelling it, moving it - nothing" Hermione shook her head "You've seen the outside of the building - a solid, white ball of light blocking every route the infirmary"

"Have you tried apparation? Portkeys?" Prue asked, leaning forward.

"We're a bit scared to" Hermione blushed "According to all our diagnostic spells, this shield doesn't even exist. We have no idea what would happen if we tried to portkey or apparate through it, and honestly - there isn't anyone we would want to risk it"

"Do you think it's connected to the earthquakes?" Henry asked "I mean - if the ball appeared at the same time as the other places were shaking...."

"It could just be a co-incidence" Leo sighed "But somehow, I don't think so" He paused "If Katie is who we think she is - a future Elder - and she has come in to her powers unprepared, then it's possible that the entire magical world reacted to that"

"She's THAT powerful?" Hermione asked in an awe filled tone.

"She has the potential to be, yes" Leo nodded "And right now she seems to be very scared"

"Powerful and terrified" Andy shook his head "Not a good combination"

xoxox

"I require an execution team" Adam's eyebrows rose slightly at Draco's pronouncement.

"I thought you said you could bring her to our side?" He glanced at Derek and Mark, who were both looking curious.

"And when we last spoke, I believed that to be true" Draco's tone was calm "However since then she has apparently come in to her powers, and is now in the school infirmary"

"And you can't reach her" Derek said in an equally calm tone.

"Not without being obvious about it. She has put up some kind of magical shield, the likes of which I have never seen before" Draco paused "The mudblood might be able to reach her, but I doubt anyone else can"

"Then why...."

"Why an execution team?" Draco sneered "At some point, they will have to take her out of the school. If you have someone waiting, then neither side will get her"

"You are asking for a suicide mission" Mark said with a hint of surprise.

"To stop such a powerful being joining the side of light?" Draco quirked an eyebrow at him "Can you see to it?"

"Of course" Adam nodded.

"Then do so" Draco closed the connection, leaving the three men staring at the mirror.

"Send team three, and tell them that this girl can not be allowed to leave the school alive" Adam paused "I think he is becoming a liability"

"Do you think we should give team three extra instructions?" Mark asked.

"No - not yet" Adam shook his head "The Senior Partners believe young Malfoy has a part to play in the future, and we are not to interfere with that unless he is compromised"

"Very well" Mark nodded "I will see to the team"

xoxox

"So how long are we going to be here?" Harry and Sally were patrolling the Entrance Hall, disguised as Anne and Gilbert. After the magical quakes had stopped, Hermione had told them what was going on, and asked if they could keep an eye on the school while she tried to figure out what was going on with Katie.

"I guess until they figure out what they're going to do" Sally glanced around, then leaned against a pillar "I don't envy Minnie - dealing with a human time bomb...." She shivered.

"I'm sure she'll figure it out" Harry grinned "Smartest witch, remember?"

xoxox

"That has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard" Viktor stared at his wife, then turned to Andy and Prue "Don't you think she is overreacting?"

"Normally, I'd say yes" Prue nodded "But Miss McNeil...." She shrugged "Professor Krum-Black is bound to the wards, as the Headmistress, and from the stories we've been told in the past, she is the one the school is least likely to block"

"But it is not the school that is doing this" Viktor threw his arms up in the air "It is this Katie girl - if she doesn't want my wife going near her...."

"Vik, love" Hermione took a deep breath "I know this isn't my best plan, but we have to reach her somehow, and I am the best choice"

"What about another Elder?" Viktor turned to Leo "Couldn't one of them help?"

"They're under lockdown" Leo said with a sheepish look.

"Lockdown?" Viktor and Hermione said in unison.

"There are people out there who will kill Katie if they can" Piper said simply "They'll now know she has come in to her powers, and will be coming for her"

"And if we bring any other Elders down, they will be at risk as well" Leo finished. Hermione nodded in understanding, then turned to her husband.

"I know you wanted me to take this job to get me out of the firing line, but I don't have a choice, love of my love" She stared in to his eyes, and, after a moment, he nodded in understanding.

"Be careful"

xoxox

"You leave in five minutes. Do you understand your mission?"

"Yes, sir"

"Then good luck" Adam dismissed the hit squad, knowing full well he would never see them again, whether they did their job or not.

xoxox

Hermione stared at the barrier, then took a deep breath.

"Katie? It's Headmistress Krum. I want to come and talk to you. Would that be okay?"

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, to Hermione's surprise, the barrier became transparent.

"I'll take that as a yes" She thought, and took two steps forward, putting herself inside the barrier "Well - that went well" She turned, and headed towards the infirmary.

xoxox

"What was that?" Harry turned and pulled his wand "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what, love?" Sally looked around.

"I thought I heard.... something" He glanced towards the main doors "I guess I might have been imagining it"

"It's been a long day" Sally agreed "Maybe we should get Sam and Sabby to relieve us?"

xoxox

"Katie?" Hermione peered in to the infirmary, and saw the young girl sat in the centre of the floor, surrounding by a glowing aura of white light.

"Hermione" Katie smiled up at her "Somehow I thought it would be Leo, or Prue"

"They wanted to come, but I thought I might be a more calming influence" Hermione replied calmly, though she was wondering how Katie knew about the former Charmed One.

"Since you have been teaching me for five years" Katie nodded absently "That would make sense" She paused "Do I have to go? Are you going to make me?"

"Katie - believe me when I say I couldn't make you do anything" Hermione let out a short laugh "And I won't council you one way or the other - this is a decision well beyond my realm of experience"

"But you do have an opinion?" Katie turned to face her, and Hermione had to do everything in her power to keep from fleeing at the sheer power radiating from the young girl.

"I do" She nodded "I think that you should go with Leo and Piper, and let them train you to use your powers"

"Just like that?" Katie frowned "Give up my hopes, my dreams, my very future?" She shook her head "What if I don't go?"

"Then you can stay at Hogwarts" Hermione said with a smile "Carry on with your life, and live the future you want" She paused "But you must know that's not possible"

"I do" Katie sighed "I've known ever since...." She waved her hand at the white shield "Since this started. If I stay here, I put every single student, and teacher, at risk. The wrong word, even the wrong thought, and I could wipe the school from the face of the earth"

"That's true" Hermione nodded "But if you truly, truly want to stay, we can find a way round it. We can bind your powers, or at least limit them" She paused "The final choice, Katie, is up to you"

xoxox

Harry was about to turn and walk back across The Entrance Hall when he was pushed to the ground. He looked up to find Sally lying on top of him.

"Hon? Are you sure..." He started, then trailed off as the pillar above him exploded.

"Cutting curse - aimed at your head" She smiled, then rolled off him, and jumped to her feet. He glanced at the door, then cast a shield in front of her as another cutting curse came flying through the main entrance.

"You okay?" He glanced up at his wife. She nodded, then skirted round to the left of the doors. He moved to the right, then cast a silencing spell over both of them.

A few minutes later, four hooded figures crept in through the doors. They looked around, then headed towards the stairs.

"STUPEFY!"  
"STUPEFY!"  
"STUPEFY!"  
"STUPEFY!"

The four figures collapsed, and Harry and Sally walked over to them.

"So - who do you think they are?" Harry asked, looking over the bodies in front of him.

"Not a clue" Sally shrugged, but before she could say anything else, the four bodies suddenly burst in to flame. Harry pulled her back, and they both blasted water on to the corpses.

xoxox

"I'll go" Katie said after a long pause "I know you say I have a choice, but I don't - not really" She sighed "I was looking forward to taking my OWLs - I was kind of hoping I could beat your record" Hermione laughed.

"Well, if I'd known that was your goal..." She grinned "So - are you ready to go?" Katie looked around, then nodded.

"I am, but - before I do, there's something you should know" She paused "Someone has been in my mind. Someone... dark"

"Do you know who?" Hermione leaned forward intently.

"I can't remember" Katie replied in frustration "But I have an image in my head - a man, about your age, with silver-blond hair and a haughty smile"

"Draco Malfoy?" Hermione frowned "When could he have got to you?"

"I don't know" Katie slapped the floor again "But... but I also have an image of him standing over the Headmaster - over Professor Dumbledore - and casting the killing curse" Hermione stared at her for a few moments, then stood up.

"Tell no one. Not even Leo and Piper" She said urgently "I will deal with this, but if he knows you know, your life will be in danger" She paused, then looked around "Which, okay, isn't saying much, but still - Draco is not someone to trifle with"

"I understand" Katie nodded, then stood up "Lets get this over with"

xoxox

"So the bodies just burned up?" Andy stared down at the mess on the floor.

"We stunned them, then they burst in to flames" Harry paused "I have an idea, but it is not something I'm happy about" He looked up at his boss "If I knew about Katie's power, and didn't want her to join with The Charmed Ones, then I would send a small squad to execute her" He gestured to the floor "And I would ensure that, if they were caught, then they wouldn't be taken for questioning"

"So you think that this was a hit squad? And that someone else knows about Katie?" Harry nodded "Wonderful. Just.... wonderful" Andy sighed "Okay - I want you to to join Minnie in guarding Katie. Don't let her out of your sight until she is out of the country"

"Yes boss" They both nodded, then turned and sprinted up the stairs. Andy watched them go, then pulled out his flute.

"We're going to need re-enforcements"

xoxox

"Hey" Hermione waved as Harry and Sally walked down the corridor towards them "Katie has agreed to go with Piper and Leo. We were just going back to my office...."

"Then we'll come with you" Sally said with a smile. Hermione glanced at her curiously, but Sally shook her head.

"Okay - the more the merrier" Hermione nodded, then looked at Harry in surprise as they fell in to flanking positions.

"Fred sends his regards, but something came up - he wanted to be here himself to say goodbye"

"That's nice of him, but tell Andy and Prue I will see them again" Katie smiled at the twin looks of surprise "Don't worry, Mr Potter, Mrs Potter - your secret is safe with me" She glanced at Hermione "Along with another one, that I am sure my Headmistress will tell you soon enough"

xoxox

"So they failed?" Adam gazed at Draco's image in the mirror.

"It would appear The Western Sky were waiting, and took them down without a fight" Draco replied "Their bodies burned up, as planned - it can't be traced back to us"

"But McNeil is now with The White Hats?" Mark said with a frown.

"I apologise" Draco bowed "I will do better next time" The mirror snapped off, and Derek turned to face his two associates.

"Assuming, of course, there is a next time"

xoxox

"I'm sorry you have to go, but I do believe it's for the best" Hermione gave Katie a hug.

"I know" Katie sighed, then turned to Piper and Leo "So - when do we leave?"

"Pretty much now" Piper held out her hand, but Katie looked around.

"What about Paige and Henry?" She asked "Aren't they coming with us?"

"They'll be coming back separately" Phoebe smiled "They said they had something to do"

"Oh" Katie shrugged then took Piper's hand. She turned back to see Harry, Sally and Hermione smiling at her "I guess this is good bye" She paused "Thank you - for everything"

"You're welcome" Hermione grinned, then the three of them waved as their visitors vanished in a haze of bright, white light.

When it had faded, Hermione turned to the other two.

"So - what happened that you didn't want Katie to know about?"

xoxox

"Where is she?" Paige peered down a side street, then smiled "Here kitty kitty" She waited a moment, then grinned as a ginger cat ran up to her.

"This again?" Henry sighed "You know we can't take her back?"

"I know, but that's not why I wanted to find her" Paige picked the cat up and stared in to its eyes "I just had a feeling...." She paused, then put the cat down "I just want to try something, then we can go"

"Okay" Henry smiled "Try away"

"Thanks sweetie" Paige looked down at the cat "From darkest night to brightest day, heed the words that I now say, turn this cat to it's true form, so that life may return unto it's norm" They both watched the cat for a few minutes, then Henry turned to his wife.

"Am I missing something?" He asked.

"No" Paige sighed and shook her head "I just thought that the cat was...." She paused, then shrugged "Guess I was wrong" She reached out and took her husband's hand "Shall we?"

"We shall!" He nodded, and a moment later they vanished in a blaze of white light. The cat stared at the fading glow, then tilted its head to one side.

A second later, it was enveloped in a ball of bright, green light.

 _(end of act 3)_


	10. Hallie Potter, At Your Service

Occasionally looking around, the young woman strode purposely through Diagon Alley, keeping her hood up, and her head down. After all, she thought, it would not do to be recognised too soon.

xoxox

"Your accounts are ready, Mrs Potter-Black" Gritnose bowed to Sally "Though I would normally advise against setting up accounts for children as young as yours, I understand that you have your reasons"

"I do, thank you" Sally nodded "My husband and I don't exactly lead what you would call normal lives, and I want to ensure that, if anything happens to us, the children are suitably provided for"

"That much is certain" Gritnose bowed again "May gold flow to your doors"

"And to yours also" Sally returned the bow, then turned and walked towards the main entrance.

xoxox

The woman bounded up the steps of Gringotts, and leaned against one of the pillars, waiting for her target to come out.

xoxox

Sally walked out of the main entrance to Gringotts, and bumped in to someone.

"Sorry" She blinked "I guess I wasn't looking where I was going" She looked up, and her mouth fell open in shock.

"That's okay, Mrs Potter" The woman with messy, black hair and shining green eyes smiled "It was you I was looking for"

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 10 : Hallie Potter, At Your Service_

 _Guest Staring : Hallie Potter, Griselda Marchbanks, Filius Flitwick, Tom the Barman, Remus Lupin, Susan Lupin and Paul Robertson_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

"My sister?" Harry stared at Sally in disbelief "You met someone claiming to be my sister?"

"Yes" Sally nodded, holding up her hands "I didn't say I believed her - I mean, she looks like she could be your twin, but given the amount of disguises and glamours we've used, she could be anyone under there - but she wanted me to pass the message on to you" Harry stared at her for a moment, then started pacing back and forth.

"Where is she now?"

"She has a room at The Leaky Cauldron, and is willing to stay there until you are ready to meet with her" Sally replied "She is fully aware that you will be suspicious, and that she can't just waltz in to your life without answering a lot of questions, and she is willing to go through whatever tests you want" Harry gazed at her for a moment, then began pacing again.

"Before I see her, I want to talk to Remus and Sirius" He said after a few minutes "They'd know more about the events around my birth than I do, and they might know if she is telling the truth or not"

"So you're not going to see her?"

"Not right away, no" Harry shook his head "I know - if she is telling the truth, then I am not behaving in a very brotherly fashion"

"But on the other hand, if she is a former Death Eater, trying to find a way in to your inner circle, then applying as much caution as possible is only prudent" Sally nodded "Should I tell her that you will see her later?"

"No" Harry shook his head again "The other thing I want to try to avoid is the press. If they get wind of another Potter - someone who could be the heir to The House of Potter - then god only knows what they'll do with that"

xoxox

"Hon?" Susan looked over at Remus as he stared at the flute. When he didn't respond, she walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He span round, frowning "Woah - it's just me"

"Sorry" He turned back to the crystal, then leaned back in his chair "Harry has demanded to see me as soon as possible"

"Demanded?" Susan raised her eyebrows "He used that word?"

"Yes" Remus smiled at her surprise "I have never heard him demand anything. Even during the war, he always asked, and made it clear it was up to me"

"So what could have made him demand your presence?" Susan stared at the crystal "You haven't done anything mean to him? Pranked him in some way?"

"Not for a while - nothing that could have made him wait this long to get back at me" Remus shook his head "I guess there's only one way to find out"

xoxox

"Professor Krum-Black" Sirius, in his Rick persona, walked in to the Headmistress' office "I need to leave for a while"

"Don't you have a class this afternoon?" Hermione frowned.

"Yes, but I have been summoned" Sirius smirked, then held up his flute "Five minutes ago, young Harry demanded my presence at The Compound, and from the tone of his message, he won't take no for an answer"

"Harry? Demanding?" Hermione stared at him as if he was crazy "Harry Potter?"

"The one and only" Sirius nodded "Which is why I thought I should go - if something has got him this riled up, it has to be pretty important"

"Okay" Hermione smiled "Take the afternoon off - I will cover your classes"

"You?" Sirius blinked a couple of times "Sorry - I keep forgetting you were the DA teacher before me" He shrugged "Ronald wasn't so keen on letting you work, so you stayed at home and raised his kids"

"Yet another reason I am grateful I don't live in your world" Hermione grinned "You should go - you don't want to keep our boy waiting"

xoxox

"Remus, Sirius" Harry nodded as the two men flood in to his front room "Thank you for coming"

"You didn't exactly give us much choice" Remus said in a calm but forced tone "Would you mind explaining why you felt it necessary to demand our presence?" He glanced at Sirius "Because neither of us like being summoned like dogs"

"And I don't like being lied to" Harry snapped "Especially not by the two men I thought I could trust"

"Lied?" Sirius glanced at Remus, who shrugged "What do you mean?"

"When you rescued me from going to my Aunt's, you said you would always tell me the truth" Harry glared at his godfather "That whatever happened, you wouldn't lie to me" He started to pace back and forth "Now I learn that not only have you lied to me, but you have been doing it for over twenty years!" He span round to glare at Sirius again, then turned to Remus "And you - you who helped me free my godfather, you are just as bad as he is!"

"What are you talking about?" Sirius stared at his godson in complete confusion.

"Why did you never tell me I have a sister?" Harry yelled, causing both men's mouths to fall open "For my whole life, you've let me believe I was the last child of the House of Potter, and now.... now I find out I have a twin sister" He let his glare alternate between the two of them "Did you not think I would want to know?" He gazed at them again, then he smiled "You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

"You have a sister?" Remus asked, frowning.

"Maybe" Harry shrugged "But I wanted to confront you two first, and see what your reaction was" He paused "I hoped that you two didn't know - that you weren't keeping her a secret - and this seemed the best way to find out, short of veritaserum" He paused "I'm truly sorry for my tactics"

"A sister?" Remus frowned, then glanced at Sirius "Is it possible?"

"Maybe" Sirius paused, then glanced at Harry "You thought we'd keep this a secret from you?"

"I didn't know" Harry admitted "I mean - Dumbledore kept a lot of secrets, and I thought that this might be...." He shook his head "Honestly - no. I didn't think you would. But if you had been, and I'd just asked you...."

"You taught him well, Padfoot" Remus grinned "But to answer your question - no. As far as either of us know, you don't have a sister"

"But...."

"But on the night you were born, Sirius was away on Order business - the first war was reaching its peak around that time, and most of Dumbledore's agents were busy most nights" Remus continued "And you were born the day before the full moon, so I wasn't there because....."

"Because the hospital didn't think you were safe" Harry shook his head "The good old days" He rolled his eyes "So neither of you were there for the birth" They both shook their heads "Is it possible my parents had twins, and sent one of them away?"

"If James knew about the prophecy, then he could have sent your sister away for her own safety" Sirius nodded "But why would he not send you as well?"

"The prophecy said 'he'" Remus interjected "Maybe he thought that he couldn't send you away, because you had to be there for the prophecy to unfold"

"He put me in harm's way?" Harry asked in surprise.

"That's assuming that this woman is telling the truth" Sirius threw up his arms, then he turned to Harry "The truth is, until we find out one way or another, we can't speculate as to what James and Lily's motives were, or even if they had any motives at all" He walked over and pulled Harry in to a hug "You have to talk to her, son of mine - otherwise we're never going to know"

"I know" Harry sighed in to his godfather's shoulder "I'm just scared"

"Scared?" Sirius leaned back and looked in to Harry's eyes "Scared of what?"

"That she might be what she says" Harry paused "That she might not be what she says. That I am making a hideous mistake that will doom us all" Sirius choked back a laugh "Yeah - maybe I am suffering from delusions of grandeur, but given our past - can you really say this might not be some plot to screw me, or someone close to me, over?"

xoxox

"You're back" The man stared at the young woman in front of him.

"Yes" She grinned "I met a helpful witch on my path, and now I am free as a bird"

"And what are your plans? Are you going to get revenge? Deal with them once and for all?"

"Oh yes" She smiled softly "My plans are already in place, and soon - so very, very soon - I will bring the whole edifice crashing down on their heads" She giggled.

"What can I do to help?"

"You can stay out of my way, or get blown aside when the wind of change comes" She stared up at him "You must choose your side carefully, my young friend, because if you stand against me - against my plans - it will not end well for you"

"I am, of course, your devoted servant" He bowed low "I am at your disposal"

"I must go - they will be expecting me soon" She turned, her red hair glinting in the soft light "But wait for me here - I won't be long"

xoxox

"Mr Potter" Tom smiled as Harry and Sally walked in to the bar of The Leaky Cauldron "May I say what a pleasure it is to see you again" He turned to Sally "And of course, Mrs Potter - always an honour"

"Thank you, Tom" Sally smiled "We've come to see the woman staying in Room 47 - I believe she is expecting us"

"She left word" Tom nodded "You can go on up"

"Thanks" Harry grinned, then turned and followed his wife up the stairs.

xoxox

"Please come in" Hallie opened the door, glancing up and down the corridor "I've stayed out of the public eye, as you asked"

"Thank you" Sally smiled, then she and Harry walked in to the room and sat down. Hallie closed the door behind them, then turned to face them.

"Mr Potter - thank you for agreeing to see me"

"As my godfathers pointed out, I didn't have much of a choice" He kept his voice level and calm, not displaying any emotion "So tell me - how did you end up here?"

"It was cheep and clean" Hallie shrugged "Which is all I really wanted out of a place to stay" She grinned as Sally rolled her eyes "Sorry - I guess I need to keep a tighter reign on my sense of humour"

"I keep telling my husband the same thing" Sally smiled, then she glanced at Harry "But you didn't really answer his question"

"I know" Hallie grinned "But the short story is, James and Lily sent me away to live in Australia, planning to bring me back when the war ended" She paused "Obviously, that didn't happen, and my foster family didn't see any reason to tell me who I was"

"Until now" Harry said in a level tone.

"Eighteen months ago, I started having nightmares - dreams I couldn't explain or understand" She sighed "My parents took me to a number of doctors and healers, and in the end they told me the truth - that I am Hallie Potter, daughter of James and Lily and sister of The Boy Who Lived" She turned to Harry "That was two months ago, and as soon as I could, I came to find you"

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because...." Hallie started, then trailed off "Because you're family" Harry stared at her for a moment, then sighed.

"Lets say I believe you" He said, then held his hands up "I'm not saying I do, but just for the sake of argument" Hallie nodded "What do you think would happen next?"

"Honestly? I don't know. All I wanted to do was say hi, maybe get to know you" She shrugged "You still have doubts"

"You know about my history?" He asked, and she nodded "I have been let down, and betrayed, by so many people, that I find it hard to trust someone on sight. As an heir to the House Of Potter, you have a lot to gain, which gives me reason to doubt. And given that there are a number of people who want me dead, including at least one Death Eater, I also have another reason to doubt someone who suddenly comes in to my life" He paused "So forgive me if I am a little.... paranoid"

"I understand" She smiled softly "I'd be the same, if I were in your position" She paused "Submit me to veritaserum, truth spells - anything you want. I will wait until you are ready" She glanced across at Sally "Until both of you are"

"That's very good of you" Sally smiled, then, glancing at her husband, added "Would you like to come to lunch with us?"

xoxox

"There they are!" Harry, Sally and Hallie looked up in surprise as a number of reporters came running towards them.

"Mr Potter! Do you have any comment on the reports that a new Heir to The House of Potter has surfaced?"

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

"Mr Potter - do you have something to hide? Are you trying to regain control of your House?"

"Neither my wife nor I have any comment at the moment" Harry said "And, before you continue your questions, we're not going to make any public comment until we speak to our Head of House"

"But Mr Pot...."

"Enough!" Sally shouted, causing a few of the reporters to jump. Harry smirked, then, taking Hallie's hand, apparated away. Sally rolled her eyes, then turned back to the waiting press "As my husband said, we're not going to make any comment until we speak to Miss Lovegood-Potter. And, in all likelihood, any future statements will come through her" She looked at the assembled group "Now - do you have any more questions, or can I get back to my normal life?"

xoxox

"Welcome to The Compound" Harry looked around "I realise it looks a little sparse, but no doubt my wife will be along shortly...." He paused as Sally appeared next to them "... and can tell you about our house" Sally glanced at him, then at Hallie.

"Miss Potter, could you excuse us for a moment?"

"Of course" Hallie nodded, and walked off until she was around fifty feet away. Sally grinned, then turned back to her husband.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She glanced over at Hallie "Letting her in to our home?"

"I am pretty sure, yes" Harry nodded "Don't get me wrong - I don't trust her implicitly, but there's something about her...." He trailed off, then shrugged "I can't explain it, but I don't think she's dangerous. At least - not to us"

"Okay" Sally smiled "But it will be up to the others whether they want their houses revealed"

"I know" He grinned, then turned "Okay - you can come back now" Hallie bounded over.

"Finished your little chat?" She grinned impishly "Am I a security risk?"

"Maybe, but one we're willing to take at the moment" Harry replied, then turned to Sally "Wife of mine?"

"Husband of mine" She smiled "Hallie - the Potter house is right over there" She pointed, and a moment later Hallie blinked twice, then grinned.

"I've heard of the Fidelius charm, but never seen it work before" She looked around "I take it there are other houses?"

"Yes, but neither of us hold the secret, so for now, they'll have to stay hidden" Harry replied "When we introduce you to the children, we're going to tell them you are a friend visiting from Australia. Nothing about being my sister, or their aunt"

"Of course" She nodded "You don't want to get their hopes up, or confuse them too much"

"I'm glad you see it my way"

"As I said - I am willing to work to your timetable" She smiled "So - shall we go in?"

xoxox

"Director Tonks - I require your assistance" Griselda Marchbanks walked in to Tonks' office "I am issuing summons for these four people, and I require four teams of Aurors to ensure they answer the summons" She handed four pieces of parchment to Tonks, who looked at them.

"Madam Marchbanks - are you sure this is the time?" Tonks looked up "So far we only have unfounded rumour, and even if it is true, Harry would only just have learned about it...."

"Director - are you letting your friendships interfere with your job?" Marchbanks stared down at her "Because I am sure we can find someone else to take your position, if you feel incapable of carrying out your duties"

"Madam Marchbanks - I do not respond well to threats" Tonks slowly stood up "And I will, of course, issue these summons. But, in my considered opinion, you are acting prematurely, and if you want to find out whether or not this woman is really a true Potter Heir, you should do some investigations yourself"

"Thank you for your input, Director, but I will do my job the way I see fit" Marchbanks turned and stormed out of the office, leaving Tonks staring after her.

"This is not going to end well" She said to herself, picking up the parchments.

xoxox

"Director Tonks - this is a pleasant surprise" Luna smiled as Tonks' head appeared in the floo.

"Probably not as pleasant as you might wish" Tonks sighed "May I come through? I have to speak to Harry and Sally as well"

"By all means" Luna stepped back as Tonks walked out of the flames "So what can we do for Magical Law Enforcement today?"

"I'm afraid I have to issue you a summons to appear before an extraordinary session of The Wizengamot" Tonks held out a parchment. Luna looked at it, then back up at Tonks.

"This would be about Harry's twin sister?" Luna sighed "And Marchbanks insane quest to screw over Hermione?"

"I wouldn't quite put it like that" Tonks grinned "At least, not while I am in earshot of Marchbanks, but yes - she wants you three and this woman - the supposed sister - to answer questions, and to determine what this does to the line of the House of Potter" She paused "Have you discussed it?"

"We have" Luna nodded.

"But you're not going to tell me the outcome"

"Not yet, no" Luna smiled "It's not that we don't trust you, but you are employed by The Ministry, and..."

"And I have a duty to uphold" Tonks nodded "I fully understand, Miss Lovegood-Potter, and I would do the same" She held out the other three parchments "If you could deliver those to Harry, Sally and...."

"Hallie"

"....Hallie, I would be most grateful. The hearing is set for three hours from now, and Madam Marchbanks was very clear about how much she wants you four there"

"I will see to it, Director" Luna nodded formally, then grinned "Don't worry about us - we'll be able to deal with whatever Marchbanks can throw at us"

xoxox

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sally looked down at Hallie.

"Yup - it's the only way"

"Okay" Sally turned to Luna "Administer the veritaserum" Luna stepped forward, and dropped three drops on to Hallie's tongue.

"Is your name Lucy Locket?" Luna asked after a minute.

"No"

"What is your name?"

"Hallie Kyria Potter"

"Are you Harry's sister?"

"Yes"

"Is the story you told us before true?"

"Yes"

"Why did you come?"

"Because I wanted to find my brother, and let him know he isn't alone"

"Is there another reason?"

"No"

"Are you going to do anything to hurt my husband?"

"No"

"Are you going to do anything to hurt The House of Potter?"

"No" Luna and Sally looked over at Harry, who nodded.

"Okay - we won't ask any more questions until the veritaserum wears off. If you could let us know, that would be helpful"

"Of course" Hallie replied in the same, blank tone, causing Sally to roll her eyes.

"So - what are we going to tell The Wizengamot?" Sally turned to her two friends.

"Arguably, we don't have to tell them anything" Luna replied "Historically, the business of The Seven Houses is just that - our business. The Wizengamot can ask, but we don't have to tell them anything" She glanced at Hallie "Even disputes about The Headship are a purely internal matter"

"So what is she trying to do?" Sally asked "Summoning us if we don't have to talk?"

"Best guess?" Luna paused "She is trying to find out where Hallie's loyalties lay - to see if she would be more likely to support The Wizengamot than I am"

"And consequently shift the balance of power in regard to Minnie" Harry rolled his eyes "Because Dumbledore, Weasley, Longbottom and Potter would outweigh Black and Bones" He sighed, then turned to Hallie "Has the veritaserum worn off yet?"

"No" Hallie smirked "And to answer your, or rather Marchbanks' question, I have no desire to take over the leadership of my House" She turned to Luna "I have no interest in British politics, and no desire to get involved"

"That's going to make Marchbanks' day" Sally grinned "Okay - so what are we going to say?"

xoxox

"There's no way to stall this?" Tonks asked Amelia.

"No" She frowned "If this was a criminal investigation, we could probably argue for a delay so you could get your ducks in a row, but Grisdelda has gone out of her way to ensure this is purely a civil matter" Amelia stood up "Short of arresting one of them before the hearing, there's not a lot we can do"

"And the reason we can't arrest one is...." Tonks started, then shook her head in amusement at the look of surprise on her boss' face "I'm just kidding"

"I'd think so" Amelia smiled back "Of course - as Minister of Magic, it would be in my best interest to attend the hearings - just so as I know what's going on"

"Of course" Tonks paused "Do you think I can use the same excuse?"

xoxox

"I am going to see Madam Marchbanks later today. If I approach it the right way, I will have her eating out of my hand"

"You seem very confidant. Aren't you worried about your.... indiscretions?"

"I am no one important, in the scheme of things. But once she hears my story, she will be falling over herself to put me centre stage, and everything in my past will be forgotten" Letting out a short laugh, the woman turned and walked towards the door "Take care - we won't speak again"

xoxox

"Where's Hallie?" Harry looked up as Sally walked in "We're due at The Wizengamot in a moment"

"She said she'd be down in a moment - she had something to take care of before she left" Sally glanced at the door, then turned back to her husband "Are you ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be" He shrugged "But having my private, family life dragged out in front of the world to see?" He sighed "Do you think if Voldemort hadn't risen to power, I might have had a normal life?"

"A Potter? Having a normal life?" Hallie spoke from the door "I guess you haven't seen our family history" Harry and Sally laughed, then turned as Luna walked up next to Hallie.

"Well, family of mine, ready to face the world?"

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _In the next episode of The Western Sky....._

Ginny stands in front of The Wizengamot.

Harry, Prue and Andy fighting a pack of wolves.

Tonks drawing a wand on Rick Wayne, while Hermione looks on.

Sally facing Amelia, looking concerned.

Sirius, not in disguise, being lead in to The Wizengamot Chamber.

Ginny smiling across the chamber at Sally.

Sally, in a severe looking chair, being questioned by Marchbanks.

 _Find out what happens in "The Seven Houses", same time next week_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

Harry, Sally, Luna and Hallie rose as Madam Marchbanks swept in to The Wizengamot Chamber.

"Thank you for coming" Marchbanks surveyed the room, then sat down "Please be seated" She waited until everyone was settled, then turned to face the four people sat at the witness area, and frowned.

"Minister Bones? Director Tonks? May I ask why you are here?"

"Miss Lovegood-Potter requested our presence" Tonks said with a nod towards Luna "She felt that, since this involved the whole of House Potter, an advocate or two would not go amiss"

"But this is not a criminal hearing...."

"It doesn't have to be, Madam Marchbanks" Amelia said with a slight smile "According to the rules, anyone who is summoned before a hearing of The Wizengamot can seek council and representation"

"Are you suggesting they have something to hide, Minister?"

"Not at all" Amelia shook her head "The Director and I are merely here to ensure Miss Lovegood-Potter and her family are properly represented" She paused "So you can either continue with your hearing, or adjourn it for another day, when you are better prepared to deal with us" Marchbanks stared down at them, then nodded.

"Very well - if you insist" She sniffed once, then turned back to face Harry "Mr Potter - ten years ago, you gave up your House to Miss Lovegood"

"I did"

"Why?"

"Because the ass-backward laws of this country would not permit me to marry the love of my life if I continued as Head of House" Harry smirked at the numerous sniffs of disapproval that came from the benches.

"Mr Potter...."

"You asked me a question, Madam Marchbanks" Harry looked up at her "Would you prefer I lie?" Marchbanks stared down at him.

"Why did you pick Miss Lovegood to hand your House over to?"

"Because the then Miss Granger-Black already had a house of her own, and since I was going to marry Miss Perks, I could hardly make her my Head of House - think of the scandal!" He grinned as both Sally and Luna laughed "And the truth is, out of all the people I knew back then, Miss Lovegood was the best choice to ensure the continuing future of House Potter" He turned to Luna "And I am glad to say my confidence wasn't misplaced" Luna inclined her head in acknowledgement.

"As much fun as this love-in is, I think we are drifting from the point" Marchbanks cleared her throat "In that, while Miss Lovegood...."

"Miss Lovegood-Potter" Sally interjected.

"Miss Lovegood-Potter might have done a good job taking care of The House of Potter, there is someone who can take it back" Marchbanks let her gaze drift over to Hallie "Assuming she is who she says she is"

xoxox

"Is it true?" Paul walked in to the staff meeting, and sat down next to Professor Flitwick "Harry Potter has a sister?"

"From what I've heard" Hermione nodded "There is a woman named Hallie Potter who is claiming to be his sister"

"Is she?"

"I don't know" Hermione shrugged "I haven't seen Harry since this whole thing started"

"Really?" Paul asked in surprise "I would've thought, given your history, you'd have been standing by his side"

"Normally I would be" Hermione said "But the majority of the focus is going to be in regard to Harry's House, and with Madam Marchbanks recent crusade against me, I guess he thought I would be better off being kept out of it" She paused "Which is probably true"

"Oh" Paul tilted his head to one side "What do you think it will mean if it's true? That there's another Potter on the loose?"

"I honestly have no idea" Hermione shrugged again "But if we can drag our attention back to managing the school...."

xoxox

"Miss Potter - I take it you understand why your sudden reappearance has caused a certain level of interest?"

"An unknown Potter sibling coming back to British Politics?" Hallie quirked an eyebrow "I can imagine some people might be interested in that"

"As you say - you are an unknown. For the past twenty odd years, it has been generally accepted that Harry James Potter was the last scion of the Potter line, and yet now you claim to be his twin, and another Heir to the House" Marchbanks gazed down at her "Nothing to say?"

"I was waiting for an actual question" Hallie replied.

"Then I will ask one" Marchbanks smiled "Do you have any proof to substantiate your claim?"

"I am convinced she is telling the truth" Luna said from Hallie's left "As are Harry and Sally"

"That's not what I asked" Marchbanks kept her gaze on Hallie.

"I am willing to answer questions about my background, and my relationship to Mr Potter" Hallie began.

"Under veritaserum?" Marchbanks leaned forward.

"Under certain conditions" Hallie stared back at her "I will be willing to answer questions from either my brother, or my Head of House, providing that Mrs Potter-Black can silence me if anyone else asks me anything" Marchbanks blinked a few times.

"You make it sound like The Wizengamot can't be trusted, Miss Potter"

"I would never suggest such a thing" Hallie grinned "However there are parts of my life I wish to keep secret for the moment. My parents - for example" She glanced at her brother "As you are probably aware, Madam Marchbanks, my brother has a few enemies. And if they thought they could get to him through me...." She trailed off.

"Very well - I will agree to your conditions" Marchbanks nodded to one of the clerks, who produced a bottle of veritaserum "Mister Potter - the floor is yours"

xoxox

"If she is who she says she is, we might be able to use her" Draco spoke to the mirror in his quarters "Someone innocent of the political situation could easily be manipulated in to supporting certain.... policies"

"I will put some feelers out, Mr Malfoy" The man in the mirror spoke back "However I was under the impression that her identity hadn't been fully established yet?"

"I understand that The Wizengamot is meeting as we speak" Draco nodded "However I do not believe Potter and Perks would be standing by her side if they weren't convinced she was telling the truth"

"You? Putting your trust in Potter?" The man gave a short laugh "There's a turn up for the books"

"Never the less - if Potter believes, then I believe" Draco paused "I trust you can take care of this?"

"Of course"

"Excellent" Draco snapped his fingers, and the mirror went dark "Perhaps things are turning up"

xoxox

"What is your name?"

"Hallie Potter"

"Are you Harry Potter's sister?"

"Yes"

"Why did you reveal yourself?"

"Because I wanted to see my brother"

"Is there any other reason?"

"No"

"Silencio!" Sally cast a silencing spell, then turned to face the assembled panel "As you can see, Miss Potter has established that she is who she says she is, and that she has no ulterior motive"

"So it appears" Marchbanks nodded "We will wait for the veritaserum to wear off, then I have a few more questions for Miss Potter - about her intentions now that she has rejoined British society"

xoxox

"Aunt Prue?" Ella tugged on Prue's sleeve.

"Yes, dear?"

"Do dreams mean anything?" Prue looked down at the young girl.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"Last night I had a dream about a girl named Taryn, and it seemed..... pretty real" Ella paused "And Mum and Dad talk about their dreams a lot - the one about Mr Weasley, and about the night of The Founders Ball"

"Well - your parents and Aunt Minnie are..... special" Prue replied, then shook her head as Ella looked up at her "I know how lame that sounds"

"Good - so I don't have to tell you" Ella smiled cheekily.

"Brat" Prue looked fondly at her honorary niece "So - tell me about your dream"

xoxox

"Miss Potter - are you satisfied the veritaserum has worn off?"

"Yes, thank you, Madam Marchbanks"

"Excellent. Now that we have established you are who you say you are, may I ask what your plans are?"

"My plans?" Hallie frowned "Well - I was going to go to see Wicked" She glanced at her brother "I'm told it's well worth seeing" Harry and Sally both laughed, while Luna smiled.

"Miss Potter....."

"Oh - you mean my plans in regard to The House of Potter?" Hallie shook her head theatrically "I'm sorry, but you should be more clear when you ask your questions" She turned to Amelia "Don't jurors get trained properly in this country?"

"MISS POTTER!" Marchbanks yelled "Do you wish to be found in contempt?"

"Not if I can help it"

"Then you will answer my questions, accurately and concisely, and not add any more commentary" Marchbanks took a deep breath "Now that you have returned to British society, what are your plans in regard to The House of Potter?"

"I don't have any plans" Hallie shrugged "From what I can gather The House of Potter is quite a powerful body in your society, and since I know nothing of British politics, it would be somewhat foolish of me to try to take control of it" She looked at Luna "Besides - from what my brother and sister in law tell me, Miss Lovegood-Potter is doing an excellent job looking after my family's fortune and its future" Luna smiled at the compliment.

"So you are happy that your House is in the hands of a stranger? In the eyes of the law, you are as qualified to inherit the Head of House as your brother was, before he gave it up"

"Before he was forced to give it up" Hallie corrected "Because you wouldn't let him marry the woman he loved and keep control of his House"

"Could you answer the questions asked, Miss Potter"

"Yes - I am happy that my House is in the hands of a person I don't know. But even if it was under the control of my brother, it would still be in the hands of someone I don't know" Hallie smiled "But just to be clear - I have no desire to take back control of my House, and, since I am being honest, I am probably going back to Australia in the next few days, which would make it very hard to manage and run my House, wouldn't it?" She stared up at Marchbanks, who stared back.

After a few moments, Amelia stood up.

"Madam Marchbanks - if those are all the questions you have, my clients do have other commitments"

"Those are all the questions I have for now" Marchbanks announced, looking slightly annoyed "However I don't consider this matter closed, and might have further questions in the future" Harry opened his mouth, but stopped when Luna touched his arm. She shook her head, and he nodded.

"Thank you, Madam Marchbanks" Amelia nodded, then turned to Luna "Miss Lovegood-Potter - you and your family are excused"

"Thank you, Minister"

xoxox

"Mister Potter - what are you going to do now that you know about your sister?"

"Miss Potter - are you going to take back your House from Miss Lovegood?"

"Mister Potter - how do you feel about your parents lying to you?"

"Mrs Potter...." The crowd of journalists went quiet as Luna held up her hand.

"I have a brief statement, and none of us will be answering any questions" She paused "On behalf of my House, I would like to say that Mr Potter is happy to find a new member of his family, but given their history, I am sure you can understand that they do not want this family reunion played out in the glare of the world's press. And while I admit I am being overly optimistic, I would ask that you respect their privacy, and leave them alone to get acquainted" She looked around "If it helps, I promise there will be no exclusives for any paper, not even my father's" The journalists laughed, then started to disperse.

"Well - if you'll excuse me, I should go back to my room" Hallie said, glancing around.

"You know you're welcome to stay with us" Sally said kindly.

"I know - but my stuff is all at The Leaky Cauldron, so I have to pick that up, plus if I just run out on the bill, it wouldn't reflect well on my new House, would it?" She grinned as they laughed "I'll meet you there tomorrow morning, and - if it is okay with you - I will come back with you then"

"Sounds like a plan" Harry nodded, then he leaned over and gave her a hug "Take care, sis"

"I will, bro" She nodded to Sally and Luna, then turned and walked away. Harry watched her go, then turned back to his wife.

"Home?"

"Home" She nodded.

xoxox

Hallie looked down at the journal, smiled, then began to write.

 _I have completed the first phase of the plan. Harry and Sally trust me, and in turning down control of The House of Potter, I have made a good friend of Luna as well. Of course - she is inclined to trust me because Harry does._

 _And since they trust me now, it will be a lot easier to pull off the next phase of my plan._

xoxox

"I'm sorry, Mr Potter, but she left" Tom looked sympathetically at Harry "About an hour after she came back last night" Harry and Sally looked at each other in surprise.

"Did she leave a note? An address?"

"I'm afraid not" Tom shook his head "Her room was cleared out as well - there's nothing left behind"

"Thanks Tom" Harry nodded to him, then he and Sally turned and walked out of the pub.

"So - where is she?" Sally asked "And why would she run?"

xoxox

"How may I help you?"

"My name is Ginny Weasley, and I have proof that Sirius Black is alive and well, and living in hiding"

 _(end of act 3)_


	11. The Seven Houses

_"How may I help you?"_

 _"My name is Ginny Weasley, and I have proof that Sirius Black is alive and well, and living in hiding"_

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Black, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 11 : The Seven Houses_

 _Guest Staring : Griselda Marchbanks, Aberforth Dumbledore, Neville Longbottom, Arthur Weasley And Ginny Weasley_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

"Minister, may I have a word?" Tonks stuck her head round Amelia's door.

"Of course" Amelia waved her in, then put down the parchment she was looking at and looked up at Tonks "How can I help you?"

"Have you heard anything about a closed session of The Wizengamot?"

"No" Amelia raised her eyebrows curiously "Should I?"

"Marchbanks has called a special session for two hours from now. Most of the great and the good are going to be in on it, including Aberforth Dumbledore and Neville Longbottom" Tonks leaned back in her chair "But not Professor Krum or Miss Lovegood" She paused "And I guess, not you"

"She's called in two Heads of The Seven Houses, but not the rest?" Amelia frowned "She didn't call Arthur Weasley in?"

"Not as far as I know" Tonks shrugged "Why would that make a difference?"

"Oh - it probably won't" Amelia shook her head "But, discounting The House of Malfoy, the rest of The Houses are split down the middle, and I would tend to put Arthur in with Neville and Abe, rather than Luna, Hermione and me" She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked across at Tonks again "Keep an eye on this - see who else is called in, and if you can, see if you can find out the subject of the hearing"

"Yes boss!" Tonks gave her a jaunty salute "What will you be doing?"

"I'm going to go to the source" She stood up "Not that I expect Marchbanks to tell me what's going on, but hey - you never know"

xoxox

"I'm afraid I can't comment on Wizengamot business, Minister" Marchbanks smiled politely across her desk at Amelia "It is a closed session, after all"

"One that involves The Seven Houses" Amelia stared back "Which, given that I am the Head of my House, does have the potential to interest me"

"I promise you it doesn't" Marchbanks shook her head "I invited Mr Dumbledore and Mr Longbottom because they are valued members of The Wizengamot, and I wanted their opinions heard"

"So this doesn't involve any of the other Heads?"

"No - it doesn't" Marchbanks smiled "If that's all?" Amelia frowned for a moment, then stood up.

"Thank you for your time, Madam Marchbanks" She said sharply, then turned and walked out of the office.

After she closed the door behind her, she let out a short curse.

"She's up to something" She said to herself "Something serious"

xoxox

"I call this session of The Wizengamot to order" Madam Marchbanks stood up in the centre of the Wizengamot Chamber "Under The Delta Protocols, everything heard, said and seen within this chamber is secret, and under your oaths you are not permitted to speak of it to anyone else" She paused as the various members nodded "Very well" She turned to the two Aurors stood at the side "Could you bring in the witness?" They nodded, then left the chamber.

A few moments, they came back with Ginny walking between them.

"Can you state your name for the record?"

"My name is Ginevra Molly Weasley" Ginny spoke clearly, looking only at Marchbanks.

"And your current address?"

"I am staying at The Three Broomsticks" Ginny replied.

"Not The Burrow? Your parents address?"

"No, Madam Inquisitor" Ginny shook her head "For reasons I will explain, I haven't been able to go home for a number of months"

"Very well" Marchbanks glanced down at her parchment "According to your statement, you have evidence to prove that Sirius Lee Black is alive, and living in hiding?"

"Yes"

"You realise how serious a charge this is? That he has interfered with the lawful succession of The House of Black?"

"I do"

"You have also asked for immunity for your crimes, which as yet you have not specified"

"I have"

"Then please - tell us what you know" Ginny took a deep breath, then nodded once.

"At the end of my fourth year at Hogwarts, I was expelled for using a dark spell against a fellow student, despite the fact there was no real proof it was I that cast it" She glanced up at Neville, who was nodding "I believe that Sally-Anne Potter and Hermione Granger orchestrated a witch-hunt against me, and since their stars were in the ascendency at the time, no one in The Ministry - hell, no one in the country was willing to speak against them, and consequently I was made the scapegoat for all the perceived wrongs they'd suffered" She looked around, and was happy to notice the majority of the panel was nodding.

"After my expulsion, and the trial at which I was found innocent, I was forced to leave the country. Perks and Granger didn't want to let their vendetta go, and I was the victim of a number of threats and one near fatal attack. I moved to Australia, and stayed there for the last ten years or so" She paused "About a year ago, I learned that Perks was back in the country, and was now Mrs Potter, and that she was once again ganging up with Hermione Krum to try to dominate our society" She resisted the urge to smile as Marchbanks nodded.

"I am ashamed of what I did next, but in my defence, the idea that these two women were moving in to positions of power again made me slightly crazy" She paused "I learned of a ritual that I could use to put the world to rights - to free Harry from the influence of those evil harridans, and ensure that they couldn't hurt anyone again"

"I take it this is the part you want immunity for?" Marchbanks asked, and Ginny nodded.

"In my moment of madness, I used the Tempus Mutantor ritual to send myself back in time, to kill Sally-Anne Perks before she came to Hogwarts" She paused, judging the reactions of the various members of The Wizengamot.

"Miss Weasley" Aberforth leaned forward "From what I know of that ritual, it requires the sacrifice of twelve virgins, and the use of a very dark artefact"

"I am aware of my crimes, Mr Dumbledore, and, if - when I am done with my story - you don't think I deserve immunity, I will be willing to serve any sentence you decide is just" She stared at Aberforth, who nodded.

"Miss Weasley - obviously Mrs Potter-Black and Professor Krum-Black are still alive and in the same positions of power that they always have been" Marchbanks said seriously "Do I take it the ritual failed?"

"No, Madam Marchbanks - the ritual worked" Ginny continued her story "However, when I arrived in the past, I discovered that Mrs Potter was there as well"

"The current Mrs Potter?" Neville leaned forward intently "She had cast the same ritual?"

"I'm afraid I can't say one way or the other" Ginny admitted "But I don't know of any other way to go so far back in time" She paused to let the implication sink in "Regardless of how she got there, she managed to disrupt my plans and set time back to it's original path" She frowned "She also hexed me in to the form of a ginger cat and left me in the past, to go through time again, rather than bringing me back" She shivered "I was only recently released from this spell, which is why I did not come forward before, and why I haven't been back to my home in a while"

"Is that everything she did?"

"No, Madam Marchbanks" Ginny suppressed a smile "While I was in the past, I saved the life of someone who died originally. When Mrs Potter discovered this, he cast a stasis charm over him, to ensure that when time was reset, he would be brought in to this universe"

"And who was this man?"

"Sirius Black" She paused as a wave of gasps echoed around the chamber.

"Miss Weasley - are you suggesting that Mrs Potter-Black tampered with the flow of time in order to bring Sirius Black back to life?"

"I can't say for certain if that was her original purpose, Madam Marchbanks" Ginny said thoughtfully "It is possible she just intended to regain her power by overturning my plans, and that bringing back Mr Black was just a side-effect"

"But either way, she has tampered with history, and caused a problem with the succession of The Seven Houses?"

"I do believe so, yes" Ginny nodded.

"And that she has hidden Mr Black's return?"

"Yes, Madam Marchbanks" Ginny nodded again. Marchbanks smiled, and turned to face the assembled members of The Wizengamot.

"As you can see, we have enough evidence to bring Mr Black, and Mrs Potter-Black in for a hearing in front of this panel" She smiled "At the very least, Mr Black has to explain why he has failed to take back his House, now that he - the lawful and just Head of the House - has returned" She paused "Does anyone here object?" She turned as Aberforth raised his hand "Mr Dumbledore?"

"Miss Weasly has confessed to murdering twelve people. May I ask who these people were?"

"If we are going to grant her immunity, does it matter?" Marchbanks replied, glancing at Ginny.

"I only ask because The DMLE currently has a case of twelve unsolved murders on its books" Aberforth turned to Ginny "The murder of twelve Hogwarts' students" Everyone else turned to stare at Ginny, who blushed.

"As I said, I lost my mind for a little while" She paused "I couldn't be sure that any adults I picked up would be virgins, so...." Aberforth held his hand up, then turned back to Marchbanks.

"Griselda - while I understand the seriousness of Mr Black's and Mrs Potter-Black's crimes, are you willing to grant immunity to someone who murdered twelve children?"

"The crime of tampering with history is far, far more serious than murder - even multiple murder - Mr Dumbledore" Marchbanks replied "And as these hearings will be held in closed session, I don't necessarily believe that the public would need to be informed of the specifics" Aberforth stared at her for a moment, but didn't respond. Marchbanks looked around "Any further objections?" When no one responded, she turned back to Ginny.

"Miss Weasley - for your own protection, I suggest you let The Wizengamot house you until the matter is settled"

"Not the DMLE?" Ginny raised her eyebrows curiously.

"I have become.... concerned in recent months about Director Tonks, and her close association with Mr and Mrs Potter, and Miss Lovegood" Marchbanks replied "And while I would not want to impugn her professional integrity, I am not entirely certain that you would be safe under her protection"

"Then I will happily stay where ever you put me" Ginny smiled politely.

"In which case, this session is adjourned" Marchbanks looked around "And under the authority of this hearing, I will issue warrants for the detention of Sirius Black and Sally-Anne Potter-Black"

xoxox

Tonks stared down at the warrants, then back up at Marchbanks.

"Forgive me for asking, but have you lost your mind?"

"Director Tonks - you would do well to remember to whom you are speaking" Marchbanks snapped "And just because you happen to be friends with Mrs Potter-Black doesn't mean she shouldn't be summoned to account for her actions"

"I apologise for my tone, Madam Marchbanks" Tonks said apologetically "And my question about your sanity was not in regard to Sally" She held up the second warrant "While I have to admit I am very good at my job, I am not good enough to arrest someone who has been dead over ten years"

"I have it on good authority that Sirius Black is in fact alive, and is living in hiding" Marchbanks replied. Tonks stared at her, mouth open in shock.

"You're kidding" She said after a moment, then her eyes widened "You're not kidding?"

"No, Director Tonks, I am not kidding" She took the warrant from Tonks' hand "Your cousin, the Head of The House of Black, is hiding at Hogwarts, posing as the Defence Against The Dark Arts Professor"

"Professor Wayne?" Tonks sagged backwards in her chair.

"The very one" Marchbanks nodded "Now - are you going to do your duty, Director, or am I going to have to recommend to Minister Bones that you be replaced?" Tonks' head snapped up, a fierce look in her eye.

"I will serve these warrants, Madam Marchbanks, and I will thank you not to question my professionalism" She stood up and walked over to the door, pulling it open when she reached it "If you will excuse me?" Marchbanks gave her a polite smile, then turned and walked out of the office, leaving Tonks staring at the desk.

"Sirius? Alive?"

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

Tonks walked in to the Entrance Hall, and smiled to herself.

"Well - this should make for more than a little gossip" She said to herself, then walked in to The Great Hall, right in the middle of lunch.

xoxox

Hermione stared at Tonks as she walked down The Hall towards the staff table.

"Director Tonks" She nodded politely "May I help you?"

"I need to talk to you, and Professor Wayne, right away" Tonks said quietly, trying not to attract attention.

"May I ask what this is about?" Hermione glanced down the table to where Sirius was talking to Flitwick "And why it involves my Defence Professor?"

"Best not" Tonks replied "But please - it's important"

"Okay" Hermione nodded, then turned "Professor Wayne? May I speak to you in my office?"

"By all means" Sirius glanced at Tonks, then stood up "Shall we go?"

xoxox

"So, Director, what's up?"

"Madam Marchbanks is conducting an investigation within The Wizengamot" Tonks glanced at Sirius "It is being handled as top secret, and the hearings are being held in closed sessions"

"That's unusual, isn't it?" Sirius asked.

"To say the least" Tonks nodded "The last time was investigating Headmaster Dumbledore's actions in regard to Harry and Sally" She paused "Anyway - neither Amelia nor I have any idea what it is about, but earlier today Madam Marchbanks came to me with two summons in regard to something she has learned"

"Me?" Hermione raised her eyebrows curiously "Why would she want me? Is this another attempt to screw me over?"

"Surprisingly, it's not about you this time" Tonks grinned, but then her grin faded "The first summons was for Sally-Anne Potter-Black. It seems that, whatever this investigation is about, Marchbanks thinks Sally is involved"

"Have you been to see her?"

"Not yet" Tonks glanced at Sirius again "The second summons seemed more important" She paused "Madam Marchbanks has demanded Sirius Lee Black turn himself in for questioning before The Wizengamot" Hermione and Sirius stared at her in disbelief.

"Director - you know that Sirius was murdered by Snape more than ten years ago?" Hermione asked in a tone suggesting Tonks was crazy.

"I am aware of that - I was at the will reading, if you remember?" Tonks snapped, then turned to Sirius "Madam Marchbanks is also under the impression that Sirius Black is currently going by the alias Rick Wayne - a Defence Professor at Hogwarts" She stared at Sirius "So tell me, Professor Wayne - is Marchbanks right?" Sirius stared back at her for a moment, then slowly pulled his wand out of his sleeve.

"I'm not going to attack you, Director" He paused, took a deep breath, then tapped himself on the head. Tonks watched in growing surprise as his glamour faded, and his true form was revealed.

"Sirius? It's really you?"

"Yes, Dora-my-Dora" He smiled sheepishly "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but the fewer people who knew, the better it was"

"And as the Director of Magical Law Enforcement, you knew I would have to report you" Tonks nodded understandingly "How long?"

"Since just before Christmas" Sirius went on to explain what had happened, then, glancing at Hermione, he took another deep breath "I think I know how Marchbanks found out" Both Tonks and Hermione let out gasps of surprise.

"How?" Tonks asked, furrowing her brow.

"The only people who know who I am - that I am back - are the members of The Order of V, the members of The Western Sky and one other person" He paused, wondering if they'd work it out. A moment later, Hermione let out a long breath.

"She's found Ginny" She said in a resigned tone.

"It's the only thing that makes sense" Sirius nodded "Somehow, Ginny broke the binding spell Sally put on her, and either she went to Marchbanks, or Marchbanks found her" He turned to Tonks "Either way - Ginny has enough information about what Sally did to bury her"

"And what did Sally do?" Tonks asked.

"It's a long story, and I think you'd be better off asking her" Sirius replied quickly "And since you have a summons for her, I suggest we go there now"

"Makes sense" Tonks nodded "Assuming your boss will give you time off, of course"

"For a summons to The Wizengamot? Do I have a choice" Hermione rolled her eyes "I won't even take it out of your pay"

"Thank you, boss" Sirius smiled, then turned to Tonks "We should be going"

xoxox

"You can see why I thought we should talk to you, before we talked to Sally" Tonks and Sirius were sat opposite Harry in his front room.

"Marchbanks is really going after her?" Harry asked.

"Sally is a keen supporter of Minnie" Tonks replied with a sigh "And her position in this world ensures that the public would listen to her opinion"

"So if Marchbanks can paint her as a criminal..." Harry started, then trailed off "She could go to jail over this, couldn't she?"

"Tampering with the flow of time is a very serious offence" Tonks nodded.

"But she was putting it right" Harry argued, then, at a slight cough from Sirius, he flopped back in his chair "Except she brought Sirius back from the dead"

"Which is enough for Marchbanks to demand her presence, and - depending on who is on the panel - could be enough to see her sent down" Tonks leaned back and closed her eyes "A panel which includes Aberforth and Neville, by the way"

"But not Arthur, because that would be seen as a conflict of interest" Sirius shook his head in amusement "You have to hand it to her - Marchbanks has thought this through pretty well"

"Thought what through?" The three of them turned to see Sally stood at the door "What wacky plan has she cooked up this time?" When no one replied, she walked in and sat down next to her husband "I take it this is serious?"

"No, that would be my godfather" Harry quipped, but his tone was flat.

"And since your godfather is sat next to The DDMLE, I am guessing that someone broke the secret?" Sally asked, then her mouth fell open and her eyes went wide "She broke my charm?"

"We can't be sure, but yes - we think that Marchbanks is acting on information she got from Ginny Weasley" Tonks replied "Sally - you will be compelled to tell The Wizengamot what you did, but if you'd like to tell me now, I can maybe give you advice" Sally looked at Harry, who nodded.

"The day that the twins were kidnapped, Ginny used a dark ritual to go back in time. Her plan was to kill me, and my mother, so that she could live happily ever after with Harry" Harry snorted in disgust "Co-incidentally, I was using a time-turner when she completed the ritual, and so I wasn't affected by the changes she made"

"And you were using a time-turner because?" Tonks looked at her.

"Because I wanted to track Draco after he vanished" Sally replied "Anyway - I found myself in Ginny's version of history, and - after watching her make out with my husband - decided to put things right" She glanced at Sirius "I initially went to Dumbledore, but he didn't know who I was" She paused "And also told me that The Founders were not the ones I remembered, which I thought was kind of strange"

"You mean Godric, Rowena, Sabrina and Hadyen?" Sirius asked.

"Who?" Tonks and Harry turned to stare at him.

"Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Sabrina Slytherin and Hayden Hufflepuff" Sirius repeated.

"Sabrina and Hayden? Not Helga and Salazar?" Tonks frowned "Why would Ginny changing the past...." She trailed off "But that's not really the point, is it?"

"No" Sally grinned "Anyway - Dumbledore tried to have me arrested, so I ended up fleeing to Grimmauld Place, where I met Sirius and Tonks" She held her hand up "Not you, Director - the Tonks who lived in Ginny's world"

"This is getting confusing" Tonks shook her head.

"Look at it from my perspective" Sally smirked "Anyway - Sirius and Tonks agreed to help me, and using The Execution Veil in The DOM I went back to the same time Ginny did, and set everything right" She paused "Then I bound her in the form of a ginger cat, and made sure if the spell was broken, she'd die"

"Clearly someone found a way round that" Harry leaned forward, looking at Tonks "So what is Marchbanks after? And do you think Ginny has told her the truth about what she did?"

"She would've had to" Tonks replied thoughtfully "Ginny would need to explain her part in it fully, otherwise Marchbanks would not be able to come after Sally so fully"

"And she's going to cover it up" Harry threw his arms up in the air "So Sally gets persecuted for putting things right, while Ginny gets off scot free for murdering twelve kids" He sighed "How much trouble would we be in if we murdered the whole of The Wizengamot?"

"Probably more than you need at the moment" Sirius smirked.

"Bugger" Harry sighed again "So, Director, how much trouble are Sirius and Sally in?"

"Sirius probably won't be in any legal trouble, but I am pretty sure that Madam Marchbanks is going to push for him to reclaim his house from Hermione" Tonks smiled at her cousin "And while Harry can't take his House from Luna against her will, the fact you willed it to Hermione, rather than passing it to her while you were alive, does set a precedent"

"You think she can force me to take the House away from Minnie?" Sirius tilted his head to one side "Because I don't like the sound of that"

"This is unknown territory, cousin of mine" Tonks smiled "I have no idea where it will lead" She paused, then turned to Sally "The punishment for tampering with time is at the discretion of The Wizengamot. If Madam Marchbanks is feeling vindictive, she can put you in Azkaban for the rest of time"

"Well that sucks"

"The only good news is that she is unlikely to go after anyone else" Tonks looked at Harry "If she is going to pursue Sirius over his House, she won't want to alienate the rest of The Seven Houses"

"So I get to watch my wife go to jail forever, and I just stand by and do nothing?" Harry shook his head "Not going to happen"

"There's not much you can do....." Tonks started.

"Then you don't know me very well" Harry stood up "Sirius, Sally - go with Director Tonks and attend the hearing" They both nodded "I'm going to go see Luna, Arthur and Amelia and see if I can convince them to force their way in to The Chamber"

"Madam Marchbanks...."

"If this is about the succession of one of The Seven Houses, then surely the rest of The Heads should be there" Harry grinned "Why should Abe and Neville have all the fun?"

"Makes sense" Tonks nodded "But I wouldn't hold your breath - Marchbanks isn't going to give in easily"

"Neither am I"

xoxox

"Arthur - thank you for coming" Harry gestured to the sofa, and Arthur Weasley sat down next to Luna.

"You peaked my interest" Arthur said calmly "And apparently not just mine. Amelia - nice to see you again"

"You too" Amelia replied, then looked up at Harry "So, Mr Potter - what's going on?"

"Firstly I have to tell you something that will come as a bit of surprise to two of you" He paused "Sirius Black is alive" Arthur and Amelia gasped, while Luna merely tilted her head sideways "How this came to be is a long and complicated story, but the past is not as important as the near future"

"Someone else knows" Luna said, and Harry nodded.

"Madam Marchbanks issued a summons for him today, along with my wife, to attend a closed hearing of The Wizengamot. That hearing is due to start in about an hour, and we think she is going to force him to take The House of Black from Professor Krum-Black" Harry paused to take a breath, but Amelia interrupted him.

"You think that we can attend the hearing, if it involves The Seven Houses"

"Yes" Harry nodded "From what we know, Aberforth Dumbledore and Neville Longbottom are already there, so you three have a claim to be there"

"And Hermione would be invited because it affects her House" Arthur nodded, then turned to Amelia "It makes sense"

"Very well" Amelia stood up "We three will go and see Marchbanks now" She paused "I assume you won't be attending the hearing?"

"I don't want to cause trouble for Sally" Harry nodded "And I have to take Ella to Diagon Alley to pick out a present - we put it off one week already, and I don't want to do it again"

"The perils of having children" Arthur smiled fondly "Wait till they start dating"

"I don't even want to think about it" Harry laughed.

xoxox

"How did you learn about the hearing?" Marchbanks frowned at the three people in front of her.

"You brought in a good friend of mine" Luna said "We can put two and two together, Madam Marchbanks"

"Very well - you may attend the hearing" Marchbanks nodded "But you will be bound by The Delta Protocols, forbidding you to speak of it outside the chamber"

"We understand our duties" Arthur said.

"Then there is one more thing I need to tell you" Marchbanks took a deep breath "It's about the chief witness in the hearing"

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _A series images flash up in sequence_

Flourish and Blotts exploding in to flame.

A newspaper with the headline "THE WESTERN SKY ACCUSED OF MURDER, ARSON"

The members of The Western Sky surrounded by Aurors with wands drawn.

Viktor bellowing at Marchbanks.

Hermione standing in The Hogwarts' staff room, looking serious.

Harry staring at Hallie Potter in surprise.

Ten black-robed figures bursting through a set of double doors.

A dozen Aurors surrounding a country manor house.

Harry and Sally staring at a red-haired man sat on their sofa.

Hermione staring at a crystal with a small, red V above it.

Ella, Sirius and Susan watching their parents with tears in their eyes.

Amelia standing opposite Harry, Sally and Hermione.

Marchbanks staring in a predatory manner at Molly and Arthur Weasley.

The ceiling of The Great Hall morphing in to a giant, red V.

 _The screen goes black, then three scenes flash up, one after the other_

Kingsley staring in horror at a group of prisoners.

Tonks running through The Ministry.

Amelia's face a picture of utter despair.

 _The Western Sky comes to its explosive conclusion in a three part story._

A final picture of Harry, Sally, Hermione and Draco facing off with each other, all with their wands drawn.

 _**COMING SOON** _

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

"This hearing will come to order" Marchbanks stood up in front of The Wizengamot Chamber again "We are here today to investigate the actions of Sally-Ann Potter-Black, and to determine the status of The House of Black, now that Sirius Lee Black has been found to be alive" She looked round the chamber, then turned back to face Sally.

"Mrs Potter-Black - can you confirm your name for the record?"

"I am Sally-Anne Potter-Black"

"And your residence?"

"That I can't confirm" Sally gave a slight smile "My house is under a Fidelius Charm, and I can't give you the location"

"Very well" She looked around again, then continued "Do you know why you are here today?"

"I am guessing it is to do with the story that Miss Weasley has spun, and that you bought hook, line and sinker" Sally replied, looking only at Madam Marchbanks.

"You think that Miss Weasley lied to us?" Marchbanks raised her eyebrows "Without knowing what she said?"

"I'm basing it on her prior activities" Sally smiled "For four years, she pursued my husband, using various means to try to snare him in to dating. Not to mention the fact she confessed to using a borderline illegal curse on me at the end of my fourth year"

"She confessed?" Aberforth turned to Ginny "Miss Weasley?"

"The confession was coerced" Ginny replied defiantly "The trial proved that"

"So you are saying you didn't do it" Aberforth returned his gaze to Sally "Can you prove your claim, Mrs Potter-Black?"

"Not directly" Sally replied "But during Miss Weasley's fourth year, she became very ill, and nearly died. Infirmary records show she was 'magically cured' halfway through the year"

"Are you saying...."

"After we saved her life in The Chamber of Secrets, she owed each of us a life-debt"

"Each of you?"

"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and I" She saw Neville and Amelia nod "When she cursed me, she violated the three life-debts, and when we released her, she got better"

"You can prove this, of course?" Arthur asked.

"She is telling the truth" Hermione said from the panel "The moment we released her, she stopped suffering and got better. We concluded that Miss Weasley had done something bad enough to violate the three debts, and the curse was the only thing that made sense"

"So you can see why I am doubtful that whatever she told you this morning was the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" Sally continued.

"So tell us your version of the story" Aberforth said gently.

"I was using a time-turner when Ginny completed her ritual" She held her hand up "I had permission to use it, and no, I am not going to tell you why, as it has nothing to do with this inquiry" She paused, then - when no one spoke - she continued "Consequently, I wasn't affected by her ritual, because I was out of time when she completed it"

"So you found yourself in her world?" Amelia asked.

"Yes. And since I didn't like seeing that.... woman married to my husband, I decided to reverse what she had done and put things back to rights"

"How?" Marchbanks asked "Did you use the same ritual Miss Weasley used?"

"Me? Murder twelve innocent children?" She started to snort in amusement, but one look at Arthur's face made her stop "Two people in Ginny's world helped me formulate a spell that used The Execution Veil in The Department of Mysteries - no innocents were harmed in the casting of the spell" She grinned "I stopped Ginny from killing me in the past, then - as punishment for interfering in my life one too many times - bound her in the form of a ginger cat. Then I came back, and found my world restored to what it should be"

"Except that you did something else, didn't you?" Marchbanks stared at her, and Sally nodded.

"While I was in The Execution Chamber, I cast a temporal stasis charm on Sirius Black, so that when the time line reverted to what it should be, he would remain alive" She paused "I realise what I did was against the law, but I couldn't let Uncle Mike die twice - not when I could do something to prevent it"

"So you admit you broke the law?" Marchbanks leaned forward "That you tampered with history?"

"It would seem pointless to deny it, given that Uncle Mike is sat right over there" She pointed to Sirius, who waved back.

"Mrs Potter-Black, you are aware of the penalties for the crime you just confessed to?" Neville asked incredulously.

"Yes, but you aren't going to punish me" Sally stared back at him.

"And why would you think that?"

"Because otherwise this entire story will come out" Hermione said from behind Marchbanks. Everyone turned to stare at her "There's no way you can prevent it without the good will of everyone involved"

"The Delta Protocols...." Marchbanks started, but Arthur cut her off.

"Apply only to the people in this room" He said softly "Mrs Potter-Black, would I be right in thinking that your husband knows the whole story?"

"He does. As do a number of others, including Uncle Eric, editor of The Quibbler"

"And do you think that, if you went to jail, they would be willing to keep quiet as to the reasons?"

"If you think that, you really don't know the people in question" Sally laughed

"And while the public might accept that Sally deserves to be punished for what she did" Luna said "How do you think the public will react to the news that you let someone who murdered twelve children go with not even a slap on the wrist?" There were a few minutes of silence, then Madam Marchbanks sighed.

"It would seem, Mrs Potter-Black, that you have us over a barrel" Marchbanks glared at Sally "We can't punish you for your crimes without also punishing Miss Weasley, and if we do either, your husband and his... friends will ensure that we are made to look fools"

"I'm sure you wouldn't need his help for that, Madam Marchbanks" Sally said in a deadpan voice, causing a ripple of laughter through the assembled panel "But you are essentially correct - if you attempt to punish me for putting the time line right, it will be the end of your career, and the career of everyone else here"

"I do not respond well to threats, Mrs Potter-Black" Marchbanks stood up straight.

"It wasn't a threat, Madam Marchbanks" Sally replied calmly "So - what's it to be?"

xoxox

"How do you think it's going?" Prue and Harry were playing with the kids in the front yard of The Compound.

"If I know my Sally, she has them right where she wants them" Harry grinned.

xoxox

"Now that we have dealt with Mrs Potter-Black" Marchbanks cast another annoyed look at Sally, then turned to Sirius "We have to decide what to do about the return of Sirius Black in to our world, and how it relates to The House of Black" Sirius stood up.

"Unless I am mistaken, Professor Krum-Black received The Head of House position in a legal, just manner" He looked up at Hermione, who nodded.

"Only because you were dead" Marchbanks replied, then she let a wicked smile cross her lips "And since both Mrs Potter and Miss Weasley are unlikely to want the truth of how you returned coming out, the obvious interpretation is that you faked your own death, in order to pass your House to Professor Krum"

"That's assuming the information about my resurrection comes out" Sirius looked around, but before he could continue, Marchbanks interrupted.

"I think it is highly likely it will" She continued to smile "As Mrs Potter pointed out, The Delta Protocols only cover what is learned in this chamber. There must be any number of people who would be happy to tell the world about you who are not forbidden from doing so"

"Let me guess - you have a way in which my return could be presented the right way, and would not implicate anyone else in any wrong doing?" Sirius asked with a sigh.

"Very good" Marchbanks grinned.

xoxox

Luna moved to sit behind Hermione, then leaned forward.

"Minnie - I have an idea how to fix this" She whispered "But it would require you to give in to Marchbanks over The House of Black" Hermione stiffened for a moment, then turned to face her friend.

"She's been out to get me for a year - if I give in now, aren't you afraid she'll come after you?"

"Not so much" Luna smirked "Because if we can pull it off, she won't have any reason to" Hermione tilted her head to one side.

"Just what are you planning, Miss Lovegood?" Luna smirked again.

"All you need to do is get Marchbanks' attention, and ask if you can discuss this with Sirius" She glanced to where the rest of The Heads of House were sitting "I'm going to talk to the others, and if we do this right, it should solve three problems in one go, and give us all a bit of peace, if only for a while"

"Okay" Hermione nodded, then turned back to look at Marchbanks.

xoxox

"Mr Black...." Marchbanks trailed off as Hermione stood up "Professor Krum?"

"Madam Marchbanks - I was wondering if I might be allowed to speak with Mr Black for a moment? I promise it is relevant to this hearing"

"Very well" Marchbanks nodded happily. Hermione glanced at Luna, who - along with Aberforth, Neville, Arthur and Amelia stood up and walked down to the chamber floor.

"If you will excuse us, we'd like to talk in private" Amelia announced "I promise we will not leave the building - and we will be as quick as we may" Marchbanks nodded, less happily this time, and Amelia lead the other six in to a room just off the chamber. When they had all entered, she cast a number of privacy spells, then turned to face Luna "Miss Lovegood-Potter - I believe this is your show"

"Thank you, Madam Bones" Luna bowed politely "I asked to talk to you privately because I believe we can all see where Marachbanks is going" She turned to Hermione "She is going to use a combination of blackmail, intimidation and threats to force you to return The House of Black to Sirius. With what she has over Sally, I think she is pretty sure you'll give in" Hermione nodded.

"While I am proud to be The Head of House, it is not worth sacrificing Sally for" She glanced at Sirius "No offence"

"None taken" Sirius smiled.

"The thing is" Luna continued "If she does this, it will set a precedent. It will mean any Wizengamot member in the future could also do the same" She turned to Aberforth, Neville, Amelia and Arthur "This would also apply to your Houses - she could, in theory, take them away from you"

"She wouldn't dare" Aberforth said, but Neville shook his head.

"Are you sure?" He said seriously "So far, we have more or less supported her policies, so she hasn't felt the need to pressure us"

"And you think that might change?" Arthur frowned.

"If she does it to Hermione, she could do it again" Neville said simply, leaving Arthur and Aberforth looking pensive.

"So I have a proposition - one that will give Marchbanks what she wants, but in a way of our choosing, ensuring that it was our decision to do this, and not one forced upon us"

"And that will make a drastic difference to the future" Amelia smiled "Because it won't be her forcing our hand, it will be us making our choice"

"Exactly" Luna paused "So - here's what I was thinking...."

xoxox

Five minutes later, Luna had to resist the urge to giggle as the six people in the room stared at her.

"You have to say something eventually" She said, biting her lip "If only because sooner or later, one of us is going to need to pee"

"It's an interesting plan" Arthur said after a moment.

"You don't think it'll work?" Luna asked.

"I didn't say that" He smiled "Are you sure you want to do it? Think about what you're giving up"

"But it's going to a good home" Luna replied "And, if I am honest, I think that Hermione can do a lot more good with it than I can"

"What do you think Harry will say?" Hermione asked "I mean - shouldn't he have a say?"

"Legally - not so much" Amelia interjected "Since he gave up his claim, he can't argue about what Miss Lovegood chooses to do with it"

"But if it helps settle your mind, we've discussed it before" Luna added "And he cares for politics even less than I do - as long as I don't give it to someone utterly unsuitable...."

"Cough*Malfoy*Cough" Sirius said, causing everyone to laugh.

"... he doesn't really care who holds it" Luna finished.

"Then I agree" Hermione nodded. Luna smiled, then looked round the room.

"Does anyone have any objections?" When no one responded, she grinned "Then we'll call it settled" She moved towards the door, but stopped when Arthur cleared his throat "Mr Weasley?"

"There's something I want to say" He turned to Hermione and Luna "I should be saying this to Mrs Potter-Black, but I don't know if she will want to speak to me or not" He paused, then took a deep breath "Could you both pass on my sincerest apologies for the behaviour of my daughter?" They both stared at him in shock "I am not making excuses, nor am I suggesting that these apologies come from Ginevra, but, as The Head of House Weasley, I would like to formally apologise for everything she has done"

"You know that neither Sally nor Harry holds you responsible, Arthur" Hermione said.

"I do, but she is a member of my family, I do feel that some of the blame lies with me. I knew she was.... troubled, but I honestly never considered the possibility she would go so far" He sighed "I am truly sorry it has come to this, and I would like Harry and Sally to know if there is anything I can do..."

"We understand" Luna replied, and Hermione nodded "We'll pass that message on" She paused "If they are receptive, would you be willing to make the same apology in person?"

"Of course" Arthur nodded "I just did not want to force it on them - I suspect they have had enough of The Weasleys to last a lifetime" He smiled self-depreciatingly when Luna and Hermione laughed.

"As I said, we'll pass on the message" Luna looked around "If that's all, Madam Marchbanks is waiting"

xoxox

Luna strode back in the chamber, followed by the other six people in the room, then she, Hermione and Sirius walked over to the witness seat while the rest took their place in the panel.

"Madam Marchbanks" Hermione gave a slight nod "After talking over the situation with my fellow Heads of House, and Mr Black, I have come to the conclusion that you are probably right - it would be best for The House of Black to be run by the last member of The Black Family"

"So you are willing to return control of his House to Mr Black?"

"I am" Hermione nodded "I can do it right now, if you wish"

"That would be acceptable" Marchbanks beamed at her "Then our business will be concluded"

"Almost" Luna said, causing Marchbanks to turn and look at her "As you may know, my child is growing up, and I am finding that looking after him, and managing my other duties and responsibilities, is taking up a lot of time, and because of that I have been neglecting my position as Head of House Potter" She paused "As a result of this, and of the discussions with my fellow Heads of House, I have decided to named Hermione Krum as the new Head of The House of Potter, with all the rights and privileges that that position entails, to take effect as soon as she is no longer Head of House Black" The entire room fell silent, with everyone staring at either Luna or Hermione.

After a few moments, Marchbanks seemed to gather her wits.

"You can't do that"

"Yes I can" Luna smiled "In fact, since there are the requisite number of witnesses present, I have already done it" She turned to Hermione "If you would?"

"Of course" Hermione nodded "I name Sirius Black as the new Head of House Black, with all the rights and privileges that that position entails" Sirius nodded, and Hermione turned back to Luna "Thank you"

"You are most welcome, Professor Krum-Potter" Hermione smiled at her new title, then all three turned back to face Marchbanks.

"I believe our business is concluded, Madam Marchbanks?" Sirius asked with a wide grin.

xoxox

"Wow" Harry leaned back on the sofa next to his wife as Luna finished telling him what had happened in The Wizengamot Chamber "So I am now a member of Sirius' and Hermione's Houses?"

"Yes" Luna nodded.

"And Ginny is going to leave the country again?"

"I don't know" Sally admitted "But I am pretty sure she won't be trying anything else to win your heart" Harry made a show of wiping his brow in relief "While The DDMLE and The Wizengamot aren't going to go after her for the twelve murders, and the time tampering charge, they know what she did, and I suspect both Amelia and Tonks will be keeping a lot closer eye on her"

"Good" Harry crossed his arms in satisfaction, then turned to Luna "So - how do you feel about not being a Potter any more?"

"Actually - Hermione very politely invited me to join House Potter, so I am still Luna Lovegood-Potter, though I suppose I could now be Luna Lovegood-Potter-Black, but that does seem like a bit of a mouthful"

"Quite" Harry smirked, causing Sally to swipe him on the arm.

"So I think I am going to go back to being plain old Luna Lovegood" She paused, then smiled "Which is good enough for me"

 _(end of act 3)_


	12. By Any Other Name

"Excuse me?" Tess Chaim turned at the sound of the young girl's voice, and smiled.

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you had a...."

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" The young girl screamed as the killing curse struck Tess in the face. She span round to see two men and a woman charging in to the book shop.

"Get out of here kid!" The first man said in a low voice. The girl stared at him for a moment, then turned and ran out of the shop, screaming. The man turned back, then smiled at his companions "Lets do it!"

xoxox

Auror Jones ran down the Alley towards Flourish and Blotts, then skidded to a halt as the shop exploded in flame. He took a step back, then drew his wand as three people ran from the burning building.

"FREEZE!" He yelled, then threw himself to the ground as a killing curse flew over his head.

"The muggle-born will rise!" The leader yelled, then all three apparated away, leaving Jones staring at a burning building.

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Potter, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 12 : By Any Other Name_

 _Guest Staring : Daniel Jones, Tess Chaim, Rebecca Girson, Andrea Wagner, Griselda Marchbanks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Anton Innes_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

"So - I guess you're wondering what I wanted to talk about?" Prue smiled at Harry and Sally as three of them sat in Harry's front room.

"You were a little cryptic" Sally replied with a slight smile "But you mentioned something about Ella?"

"Yes" Prue nodded, her face turning pensive "A few weeks ago, she asked me about dreams" She paused "More specifically about your dreams" Harry and Sally started at each other.

"Our dreams?"

"Yes" Prue leaned forward "It seems she's been having some.... realistic dreams, and she wanted to know whether they meant anything"

"And because we are known for having prophetic dreams...." Sally nodded again "So - what's she been dreaming about?"

"She's been having dreams about a girl named Taryn" She stopped as Sally gasped in surprise "You know this girl?"

"Not exactly" She glanced at her husband "Do you remember the other Ella we met?"

"The one from the future?" Harry leaned forward "Was she secretly named Taryn?"

"No" Sally shook her head "But her broom was" She grinned at the looks of surprise she got, but before either of them could reply, the door to the lounge door was flung open, and Andy stormed in. All three jumped to their feet.

"Love? What's wrong?"

"Fred and Gilbert have been summoned to The Ministry" He said, his tone suggesting barely contained fury "Director Tonks delivered the message earlier, and suggest she would not take no for an answer, and that if we didn't appear in the next five minutes, she would not hesitate to come and get us"

"She would arrest us?" Harry asked in surprise.

"She knows what the price would be, but yeah - I get the idea she is that serious" Andy paused "And to be honest, I'm not sure I blame her" He held up a newspaper "This came two minute after Director Tonks' summons" He held it up, showing them the headline.

"WESTERN SKY TORCH BOOKSHOP, KILL OWNER"

xoxox

"Director - Fred and Gilbert are here" Tonks looked up as her assistant stood at the door.

"Show them in" She said, standing up. A moment later, Andy and Harry came in to the office "Fred, Gilbert"

"Director" They both replied as the door closed behind them.

"I have to ask you to turn over your wands - I need to examine them for the spells"

"It won't do you any good" Harry said, pulling out his wand "Fred doesn't use a wand, and unless you can pull every spell I have ever cast out of this, how do you know I didn't go on a casting spree when I got home?"

"Never the less..." She held out her hand, and Harry handed her his wand. She scanned it, then gave it him back.

"Do I pass?"

"It doesn't show any unforgivable curses, nor any fire spells" Tonks replied levelly "But, as you said, that doesn't prove anything" She gestured to the seats in front of her desk, and they sat down.

"I realise that this might not be normal procedure, but can you tell us what happened?" Andy asked, leaning forward. Tonks bit her lip for a moment, then nodded.

"An hour ago, Auror Daniel Jones was on duty in Diagon Alley when a young girl came running up to him, screaming that someone was dead in the bookshop. He went back to find Flourish and Blotts on fire, and three people fleeing from the scene" She paused "The fire was put out, and the body of Tess Chaim was found inside"

"Did she die from the fire?" Harry asked, and Tonks shook her head.

"We questioned the girl, using various standard techniques, and we are certain that one of the three who were fleeing the scene used a killing curse on her" She continued "We also got pensive memories from both the girl and Auror Jones - they both got very good looks at the three people" She looked up at them "And without doubt they were Sabrina, Tim and you, Gilbert"

xoxox

"Headmistress?" Hermione looked up as one of the fifth year students walked up to the staff table "Do you know if this is true?"

"If what's true, Miss Wagner?" Hermione looked up.

"The Daily Prophet is saying three members of The Western Sky burned down Flourish and Blotts and killed Madam Chaim" The girl handed her the newspaper as Hermione's mouth fell open in surprise. She took the paper, and scanned the lead article, then turned to stare at Sirius in shock.

"It has to be a mistake" He said after a moment. Hermione glanced back at the article.

"It says that they got a letter from The Western Sky, saying that Flourish and Blotts was actively working against the muggle-born agenda, and that The Western Sky were taking a stand" She frowned, staring at the paper.

"Hermione?" Sirius had walked up behind her.

"I have to go" She stood up "Filius - can you look after the school until I come back?"

"Of course" He replied, and, with a last glance at Sirius, Hermione walked out of the back of the hall.

xoxox

"Director - you must know it wasn't us" Harry said simply.

"Knowing it is one thing" Tonks said with a sigh "Proving it, however, is a different prospect" She stared at them "I am willing to bet none of you has an alibi"

"I was at home with Anne and Mabel" Harry glanced at Andy.

"I was working with Tim on a birthday present" He sighed "And Sabrina and Samantha were out with...." He paused "Director - is this office silenced?"

"No" She paused "And while I understand why you ask, I can't do it - not under these circumstances"

"Okay" He nodded "Suffice to say the only alibis we can provide are from other Western Sky members, and I am guessing under these circumstances they will not suffice"

"What circumstances?" Harry asked, turning to Tonks "I mean - this is not a criminal investigation, surely?"

"Not at the moment, no" Tonks said carefully.

"Not at the moment?" Harry looked at her incredulously "Sorry to be blunt, Director, but both Fred and Mabel have spelled out the depth of protection we have under ICW law, and while I understand you want to find who did this, you know full well that not one of our group can be brought in without our co-operation"

"I am aware of that" Tonks said severely "However there is a lot of pressure from various parts of The Ministry, and The Wizengamot, to bring you in anyway" She paused "I know you aren't responsible - the idea that any of you would slash and burn is laughable"

"But...."

"But The Wizengamot never liked you anyway, and the.... the Dumbledore loyalists, for want of a better phrase, are using this to justify the initial doubts about letting you in the country in the first place" She paused, then picked up a parchment from her desk "I was asked to give you this" She held it out, and Andy took it, glancing through it "You don't have to accept, but in the interests of clearing your names, I would advise you to at least consider it"

"I will take it under advisement, Director, but if we do, we will need a number of assurances before we come in" He looked her in the eye "Would you be able to give them?"

xoxox

"Minnie?" Sally took a step back in surprise as Hermione stepped out of the floo "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Something came up" She glanced at the paper on the coffee table "You've seen The Prophet then?"

"It's been the number one topic of conversation" Sally grinned wryly "It's not every day we get accused of murder and arson"

"Did you see the letter?" Hermione asked, picking up the paper.

"I glanced at it - claiming we support the mortal-born agenda isn't entirely off the wall. I mean - none of us is a pure-blood supremacist..."

"But it doesn't say that you support the mortal-born agenda" Hermione held the paper up in front of her.

"Yes it does" Sally stared at her in confusion "Right there...." She paused, and her mouth fell open "Except it doesn't, does it?"

"Ever since you got back - hell, ever since you moved to America, I have not heard you use the phrase 'muggle-born' to relate to witches like me and Elwyn" Hermione grinned. Sally stared at her for a moment, then shrugged.

"But you already knew it wasn't us" She paused "You didn't think it was us, did you?"

"What?" Hermione frowned "Of course I didn't, but that's not what I mean" She put the paper down, then turned back to Sally "The way the letter is written, the phrase 'muggle-born agenda' - doesn't it remind you of anything?" Sally looked thoughtful for a moment, then comprehension dawned in her eyes. She looked at Hermione for confirmation, and her friend nodded.

"It's exactly the same as the rants Voldemort, Draco and Lucius used to go off on" She shook her head "How did we not see this before?"

"I'm guessing we had other things on your mind" Harry said from the door. Both women turned to see the rest of The Western Sky stood there. He walked in, and gave his wife a kiss, then turned to Hermione "Shouldn't you be in school?"

xoxox

"They've agreed to come in for questioning, but Fred has said he will set down certain conditions" Tonks sat opposite Amelia.

"That's to be expected I suppose" She paused "Tell me honestly, Dora - do you think it was them?"

"May I silence the room?" Tonks asked, and when Amelia nodded, she cast a number of spells, then turned back to face her boss "I don't know Andy, Prue, Tara or Andrew well enough one way or the other. And there is the well known and undeniable fact that Pansy Parkinson is the last member of a family of Death Eaters"

"But?"

"But Harry, Sally and Luna? Not a chance" She shook her head "They are willing to use deadly force, but only against those who deserve it, and only when there is no other option"

"Such as Snape, Goyle and Crabbe" Amelia nodded.

"The only people they have killed are marked Death Eaters" Tonks continued "During their work with The Order, and in their current jobs" She paused "Even if Tess Chaim was a pure-blood supporter, they would not have killed her unless she was marked"

"And if she was?"

"Unless she was in the act of torture, murder or some other heinous crime, they would have brought her in for questioning" Tonks replied "They would not have killed her for helping a young girl find a comic book" Amelia stared at her, then nodded.

"That's what I thought" She paused "If the others - Andy and so on - were involved?"

"Harry would deal with them, or he would tell us" Tonks said with certainty "Minister..... Amelia - The Western Sky didn't do this. They are being framed. I don't know, and I don't know by how, but I do know that this attack wasn't them" There was a knock at the door, and while Tonks cancelled the spells, Amelia stood up and walked over to the door and opened.

"Percy...." She started, then trailed off as he handed her a piece of paper. She read it, then looked up "Is this true?"

"Yes" He nodded "It's been confirmed"

"Thanks" She sighed and turned back to Tonks "Dora - you had better be right in your convictions"

"Why?"

"Because several dozen witnesses have just seen four members of The Western Sky burn The Daily Prophet to the ground, and torture the editor to death"

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

"Minister Bones, Director Tonks - thank you for coming" Madam Marchbanks gestured to the two seats in front of her desk.

"I wasn't aware we had much of a choice" Amelia stared across the desk at her "Your assistant certainly didn't mince her words"

"I am sorry if I gave you the impression that I was exceeding my authority - I only meant that this discussion couldn't wait" Marchbanks replied without a smile.

"I take it this is about The Western Sky, and the two recent attacks?" Tonks asked.

"Is that any surprise?" Marchbanks raised her eyebrows "The Western Sky are now implicated in two murders and two counts of arson. The evidence - that your department collected, Director Tonks - is incontrovertible" She leaned forward "I want them brought in and questioned"

"We are arranging that" Amelia replied "Fred has said we have to meet certain conditions...."

"They are wanted for murder and arson and THEY are setting terms?" Marchbanks gasped.

"They are protected by The ICW, Griselda" Amelia snapped "You know that we can't force them to do anything. And my guess is the conditions relate to the manner in which they are questioned"

"So they can twist the truth, and get away with their crimes" Marchbanks snapped back, then, with a glance at Tonks, she continued "I have been aware of your growing.... closeness with this group for a while, and the fact you are so willing to bend over backwards for them just makes me even more suspicious"

"That's enough" Tonks yelled, causing them both to stare at her. She took a deep breath, then continued in a quieter tone "Madam Marchbanks - our relationship with the members of The Western Sky is not the reason we are so reluctant to force this issue"

"Enlighten me"

"The Western Sky are the investigative arm of The ICW. As such, they are only answerable to that body. They are not answerable to The Ministry, nor to The Wizengamot" She held her hand up before Marchbanks could continue "Under the terms of their charter, if any Ministry, any government, tries to violate their independence, then that Ministry risks being expelled from The Confederation"

"You believe that fairy tale?" Marchbanks laughed "That's just the story spread around to prevent any undue investigations" She leaned back in her chair with a self-satisfied smile, while Tonks and Amelia stared at her in surprise.

"I have looked over their charter, Grisdela - they are serious" Amelia replied.

"You would say that" Marchbanks shrugged "Now - are you going to bring them in, or not?"

"At the minute, this remains a DMLE matter" Amelia said, casting a worried look at Tonks "As such, Director Tonks will handle it as she sees fit" She paused "However due to the sensitive nature of the case, she has asked me to sit in on the interviews"

"You're going to agree to their conditions?" Marchbanks sneered at them.

"For the moment, yes" Amelia stood up "I really advise you not to press this, Griselda. You won't like where it goes"

xoxox

"You're not going to ask us if we did it?" Luna asked Susan "I mean - we haven't exactly had the best relationship with The Daily Prophet"

"True" Susan nodded "They roasted you after the siege"

"You're forgetting the time we arrested a number of fairly prominent students at Hogwarts" Tara grinned.

"Also true" Susan smiled "But no - I am not going to ask" She paused "What's your next move?"

"The eight of us are going to go back to The Ministry, and we are going to be interviewed by Director Tonks and Minister Bones" Andy said from the other sofa "It will be done in a silenced interrogation room, and while we will be under veritaserum, they will both take oaths not to repeat anything they learn that doesn't relate directly to the case"

"They agreed to that?" Pansy asked in surprise.

"They will" Andy nodded, then smiled "They both know us - the real us, and they know we aren't guilty. So they will conduct veritaserum interviews, and hand the information over to the department and The Wizengamot"

"You told Amelia about our antidote" Andrew leaned forward "Which means she knows we might not be trustworthy"

"I have also told her about the spell to check for it" Andy replied, smiling slightly "And our willingness to submit to the spell will hopefully demonstrate our commitment to prove our innocence" He looked around "This is entirely voluntary - if any of you don't want to go with me, I won't force you"

"But won't that mean we will remain suspect?" Tara asked softly.

"And we can deal with that as a group" Andy nodded "I know I am in charge, but this is a group decision" There were a few moments of silence, then Luna stood up.

"I think I speak for everyone here, when I say we are coming with you" She paused, and no one disagreed "So - what are we waiting for?"

xoxox

"Auror Shacklebolt - I need your assistance" Kingsley looked up as Madam Marchbanks walked up to his desk.

"M'am?"

"I have a job that needs doing, and I need five or six Aurors - one that I can trust" She paused "Ones that.... understand the way things should be done" She stared at him for a moment, then he nodded.

"I'll see what I can do"

xoxox

Sirius smiled as Hermione walked in to the staff room.

"All sorted out?" He asked quietly.

"They're going down to talk to Dora - Dora senior, obviously" She smirked "Then this should be over and done with" She sighed "When did our lives become so complicated?" He stared at her with an incredulous look "What?"

"I died ten years ago, and came back after a red-headed witch-bitch fractured time and an adorable young lady with blonde hair set it right, and you think your life is complicated?"

xoxox

Tonks and Amelia looked at each other, then Tonks administered the anti-serum.

"You can bring the others back in now, Samantha" Amelia said to Luna. She stood up and walked to the door.

"Guys - the inquisition is over" She called out, and a moment later, the other seven members walked in, and lined up against the wall. Luna smirked, and walked over to join Tara.

"So, Minister - do we pass?" Andy asked.

"With flying colours" Amelia grinned "While I would normally be incredibly suspicious about members of the same group providing each other alibis, the fact you all submitted to veritaserum interviews means the alibis can not be questioned" She paused "And thank you for teaching me that spell, because it means I can say that with a straight face"

"We thought you would appreciate it" Sally smiled.

"I will forward the results to Madam Marchbanks, and I plan to hold a press conference this afternoon to ensure that your innocence will be proclaimed far and wide" She glanced at Tonks "With Director Tonks' permission, of course"

"Of course" Tonks returned her smile, then turned back to the group "You are all free to go"

"What about the investigation?" Luna asked. When Tonks blinked a few times, Luna added "Someone killed Madam Chaim, and Mister Cuffe - and as it wasn't us, it follows that it must have been someone else"

"And we will look in to it" Tonks replied "But, if I am honest, at the moment our leads are pretty thin"

"Professor Krum thinks it is a pure-blood group" Sally suggested "Their letter included the phrase 'muggle-born', and the general tone was that of a fanatic" She shrugged "It was just an idea"

"As I said - we'll look in to it" Tonks smiled "Now - would you like to take advantage of your freedom, or would you like to spend the night?"

xoxox

".... and he says 'Lad I don't know where you've been, but I see you won...'" Harry trailed off as the eight members of The Western Sky walked in to the atrium and found twelve wands trailed on them.

"Under the authority of The Wizengamot, I am placing you all under arrest on suspicion of murder, arson, torture and using unforgivable curses" Kingsley Shacklebolt said in a calm voice. For a moment, no one moved, then, as one, they turned to look at Andy. He stared at Kingsley for a moment, then shrugged.

"Very well. I assure you, we will come quietly - there is no need for force"

"I would like you all to turn over your wands" Kingsley took a step forward.

"We are all wandless magic users" Andy replied calmly "You can search us, but none of us is carrying a wand" He looked around "I'm afraid we don't know where the cells are, so you will have to point us that way"

"No, he won't" Tonks had emerged from the DMLE offices behind them "Auror Shacklebolt - would you care to explain your actions before I have you fired?"

"He is acting on my orders, Director" Marchbanks walked in to the atrium "Under The Wizengamot Charter I can second them if I feel it necessary" Tonks stared at her, then turned back to Kingsley.

"Very well. If you feel you must follow Madam Marchbanks, then do the duty you were assigned" She watched as Kingsley glanced at Marchbanks, then turned back to Andy.

"If you would like to come this way" He gestured towards the cells, and Andy took a step forward, with the other seven following behind him.

"Minister - I realise I generally need to book leave a few days in advance, but I have remembered I have a sudden appointment I need to keep" Tonks watched the retreating figures.

"Well - we have eight prisoners to process, some of your Aurors seem to be in open revolt and Madam Marchbanks has just started a process that might lead to the UK being blacklisted throughout the wizarding world" Amelia paused, then shrugged "Take the rest of the day"

xoxox

"How long do you think we'll be here?" Andrew asked, looking around the cell.

"Thirty seven minutes" Sally smirked as they all turned to look at her "That's the time it will take Director Tonks to get to Hogwarts, alert Professor Krum, for Hermione to summon her husband and for Viktor to get here and explain the depth of her mistake to Madam Marchbanks" She paused "Maybe thirty eight if Director Tonks stumbles when she exits the floo to Hogwarts" She looked around "You really think that the Director is going to leave us here? Or that Professor Krum will just shrug and say 'oh well'?"

xoxox

"Professor? May I step in?" Tonks' head appeared in Hermione's fireplace.

"By all means" Hermione turned as Tonks came skidding out of the floo, then fell over. Hermione resisted the urge to laugh as she held out her hand "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was wondering where your adorable husband was today?" Tonks sat down in the couch Hermione kept near the window.

"He's at The ICW today" Hermione replied, moving back behind her desk "But he'll be home in time for tea, if that's what you were wondering" She paused, then turned to face Tonks "Why are you wondering whatever it is you're wondering?"

"Oh - I was hoping he might be free to see Madam Marchbanks"

"Why would he want to see Madam Marchbanks?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Oh - didn't I mention it?" Tonks smiled "She arrested eight of your friends today, on charges of murder, arson, torture and using unforgivable curses...." She trailed off as Hermione pulled her crystal out and tapped it twice "....but you're probably not interested in that"

xoxox

"Madam Marchbanks, a Viktor Krum is waiting outside to see you"

"Tell him I can't see him now, and ask him to make an appointment" She replied.

"He says that this is ICW business, and he if you refuse to see him, his next stop will be the press" Her assistant looked apologetic. Marchbanks frowned, then nodded. Her assistant backed out, and a moment later, Viktor walked in, looking furious.

"Mr Krum - I do not like being blackmailed or threatened"

"Then you are really not going to enjoy the next five minutes" He glared at her "I understand you have every member of The Western Sky in your cells?"

"They are legitimate suspects in a double murder investigation...."

"Yes or no, Madam Marchbanks - it's a simple question"

"Yes - I had them arrested earlier today"

"You will release them, right now, and apologise to them for illegally detaining them"

"And why will I do that, Mr Krum?" She asked. Viktor took a step forward and pulled a roll of parchment out of his robes.

"Because otherwise I will sign this parchment" He handed it to her. She looked at it, then looked up at him.

"And that's supposed to convince me?" She unrolled it, and glanced through it. Then she read it again, and looked up at him "I am not amused by your sense of humour, Mr Krum"

"It's not a joke" He said in a flat tone.

"If I don't release my prime suspects, you will have the United Kingdom kicked out of The International Confederation of Wizards?"

"Not kicked out - suspended" He smiled "Of course, the said suspension is indefinite, and will ensure that all the other members will not trade with the UK, will forbid their citizens from travelling here and will forbid entry to any citizen of the UK from passing their borders for however long the suspension may last"

"You don't have the right..."

"The charter under which The Western Sky operates is clear, Madam Marchbanks, and Minister Bones informs me you were well aware of the consequences of your actions" He took the parchment back "So - what's it to be?"

xoxox

"You are free to go" Kingsley opened the cell door "Madam Marchbanks has asked me to apologise to you on her behalf. She acted hastily, and after listening to Director Tonks and Minister Bones, she is happy to accept that you are no longer her prime suspects" He paused "However she has politely requested that, until this matter is cleared up, you minimise your operations on British soil" Andy stared back at him, then stood up, and lead the rest of the group out of the cell.

"I underestimated Viktor" Sally said as they passed Kingsley "Seems he broke her ten minutes earlier than I thought"

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

"My husband seems to be busy today" Hermione stood up as the eight members of The Western Sky walked in to Andy and Prue's front room "You know I hold you responsible"

"For which I am very sorry" Andy gave a slight bow "But when you see him, please give him our utmost thanks - we owe him"

"I am pretty sure he doesn't look at it that way" Hermione bounded over and enfolded Harry and Sally in to a hug "Sorry it took so long"

"Hey - my wife thought it would be longer" Harry smirked as Sally blushed "She gave Viktor thirty eight minutes to get us out" Hermione turned to Sally, who shrugged.

"Would it help if I said I thought Tonks would take longer?" She grinned, and Hermione hugged her again.

"If I could bring you back to the present for a moment..." Andy said, and they turned to face him "I know we are all happy about being released from jail, and - you know - not being murder suspects any more, but we still have a problem to deal with"

"Being forbidden to operate" Tara nodded.

"Exactly" He nodded "So I propose that Prue and I go back to The Ministry, and see if we can work out a deal with Minister Bones"

"Not Marchbanks?"

"I am pretty sure she won't be willing to talk to us" Prue said with a slight smile "Viktor had to threaten her with expulsion before she backed down, and she'll still be licking her wounds"

"Besides - we know that Amelia likes us, which means she'll be more willing to compromise" Andy paused "I hope"

"What if she doesn't?" Tara asked "I mean - if Marchbanks' interdiction continues, and we can't do our jobs?" Andy took a deep breath, let it out, then sighed.

"I think she'll be willing to back down if we can give her someone else to blame" He paused "But the truth is, either we prove our innocence, or we'll be banished from Britain forever"

xoxox

"The Ministry seems unwilling to punish them, my Lord"

"Then you should try harder" The man in the mirror paused, then leaned forward "Unless you would like me to come and.... motivate you in person?"

"No, my Lord - we will ensure they are arrested by night fall"

xoxox

"Here's the thing" Amelia said, then paused as both Andy and Prue laughed "What?"

"I think we've been meeting too often" Prue said, still smiling "I've never heard you say that before" Amelia frowned, then grinned as comprehension dawned.

"Well - setting my unconscionable lapse in to slang aside - we have a problem"

"You don't say" Andy replied "A group is pretending to be us and using our faces to murder and torture, and we're forbidden from doing anything about it because of Marchbanks"

"That's not the problem I was referring to" Amelia said, causing both Prue and Andy to frown.

"You don't think that's a problem?" Prue asked after a moment.

"What? Oh - no. I mean, yes - it's obviously a problem. But if I am honest, it's your problem, and in the grand scheme of things, it's almost negligible" She paused, then leaned forward "My problem is this - if Griselda continues in her persecution of you, then you know what the outcome will be"

"Viktor will petition The Confederation to expel Britain" Andy said.

"Yes" Amelia nodded "Which means we'll be blacklisted by all reputable trade groups, our citizens will be forbidden from travelling to other member countries, there will be no more tourists and there is a good chance that Gringotts might up-sticks and close all their banks" She paused again "But that's not the worst of it"

"Really? Cause that sounds pretty bad" Prue smiled grimly.

"All of that pales in to insignificance compared to the fact that The Wizengamot will be a fully independent body, able to make whatever laws it wants" She paused, but when neither of her guests appeared to understand, she continued "At the moment, the pure-blood power block is kept somewhat in check by the fact The ICW is looking over their shoulders. But if we are expelled, then there will be no limits to their power"

"Good god" Andy sat back in his chair, eyes wide.

"We would also not be bound by the International Secrecy Statute" Amelia continued "So all the pure-blood wizards who think we should dominate muggles would be able to act without any hindrance"

"Oh crap" Prue closed her eyes, then - a moment later - they flicked open again "But surely people would oppose them? The Order wouldn't stand for it, surely?"

"Probably not" Amelia sighed "And neither would Director Tonks, nor me, nor a fair number of other Ministry staff"

"Civil war" Andy said flatly, and Amelia nodded.

"One that would make the last Dark War look like a children's spat" She took a deep breath "You know I respect both of you a great deal?" They nodded "Then you have to understand how much it pains me to ask you this..."

"You want us to leave" Prue said softly, and Amelia nodded.

"If we can't get this sorted out, I would like you to consider voluntarily leaving, and trying to ensure Mr Krum doesn't expel Britain" She paused "Of course - if you could find those responsible, then things would be a lot easier to deal with"

"Believe me Minister...." Andy started, then suddenly stood up and reached in to his pocket. He pulled out his flute, and a moment later his eyes widened in surprise.

"Fred?"

"Minister - if you will excuse us, we have to go" He reached out for Prue's hand "But if you give us half an hour, then we might be able to prevent a civil war the likes of which even God hasn't seen" Without waiting for a reply, he and Prue vanished.

xoxox

They re-appeared on the front lawn of The Compound and found Harry, Sally, Pansy and Andrew stood waiting for them.

"Luna just got in touch" Harry said without any preamble "Fred, Sabrina, Abby and Anne have just stormed in to Scrivenshafts, and are currently torturing three customers"

"She didn't try to stop them?"

"They have LJ with them" Sally explained "She and Tara didn't want to...." Andy held up his hand and she trailed off.

"I understand" He paused "Okay - we're going to go and stop them, but we have to do this as ourselves" As he spoke they glamours they were wearing vanished "So - no unforgivable curses, if you don't mind"

"In fact" Harry added "Nothing even vaguely dark - we want to appear to be white-knights, not vigilantes" Andy nodded in agreement.

xoxox

"Admit you are Voldemort sympathiser!" 'Fred' yelled as he held the cruciatus curse on a middle-aged man.

"I don't think he will" A calm voice came from the door, and all four attackers span round.

"Potter!" 'Sabrina' sneered "Come to save your fellow pure-bloods?"

"If you mean, am I going to stop you torturing an innocent man to death, then yes" His tone stayed calm "So - if you don't mind...." He gestured with his wand, but the four attackers merely laughed.

"Typical celebrity" 'Abby' sneered "You think we'll just stop because you are The Boy Who Lived?"

"I had hoped my name might strike fear and terror in to your hears" Harry admitted "But if you know who I am, you know what I can do"

"You're going to take on all four of us? At once?" 'Fred' laughed out loud "You are deluded as we were told"

"I'm not that deluded" Harry tilted his head to one side "And I'm not alone"

"STUPEFY!" Four bolts of red light appeared from nowhere, striking the attackers. At the same time, Prue and Andy walked in from the back of the shop and began tending to the victims.

"Tara - perhaps you would be good enough to contact The DMLE, and tell them we have captured The Western Sky in the act of torture and mayhem" Harry said, his voice still carrying the same calm tone.

"Yes Harry" Tara nodded, and pulled out her flute.

xoxox

"Madam Marchbanks - Minister Bones has asked for your presence in the interrogation room"

xoxox

Amelia smiled as Marchbanks walked in to the interrogation room, and stopped in her tracks.

"So - you've caught them in the act?" Marchbanks grinned as she looked at the four prisoners "Or are you still going to claim they are being framed?"

"We were just going to start the interrogation, Madam Marchbanks" Tonks said from the side of the room "And, as you are interested in this case, I thought you might like to sit in on the questioning" She gestured to a chair, and Marchbanks, looking a little more wary, sat down. Tonks turned back to the prisoners.

"Under the rules of evidence set down in DMLE protocols, you were caught in the act of casting unforgivable curses, and as such we have the right to administer veritaserum during questioning" She passed a bottle to Amelia, and a moment later, all four prisoners were doped.

"Fred - is that your name?"

"No" Marchbanks sat up straight, now staring at the man being questioned.

"What is your name?"

"Elana Foxton" Amelia and Tonks exchange glances.

"Are you under a glamour?"

"Yes" Tonks drew her wand.

"Finite Incantatum" The glamour failed, revealing a young woman with jet black hair "Finite! Finite! Finite!" The other three people were revealed as Tonks cancelled the glamours one by one.

"Are you really a member of The Western Sky?" Marchbanks asked, staring at each one in turn.

"No" Elana replied.

"Why were you posing as them?" Amelia asked with a smile.

"We wanted to ruin their reputation, and ensure that they were forced to leave the country"

"Why?"

"They are too good at what they do, and are proving an impediment to our future plans"

"Which are?"

"To bring about a restoration of pure-blood rule, and to put those filthy mudbloods back in their proper place"

"Silencio!" Tonks waved her wand over all four prisoners, then turned to Marchbanks and Amelia "I believe that is enough to be going on with. Wouldn't you agree, Minister?"

"Undoubtedly" Amelia turned to Marchbanks, and let a smile cross her face "Madam Marchbanks - I am going to arrange a press conference for one hour from now. At this conference, I will tell the public what we have learned, and that we have conclusive, unquestionable proof that The Western Sky are not connected with these attacks. I want you to stand with me, and confirm everything I say" Marchbanks stared up at her for a moment, then nodded in defeat "In addition, Fred and Mabel will be there, to show that both The Ministry and The Wizengamot support the job they are doing"

"Very well" Marchbanks nodded again, then, after a moment's pause, added "I will also issue a public apology for my actions in locking them up, if you think it is necessary" Amelia looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head.

"While I do believe you owe them an apology, I do not want the news that you arrested them to become public knowledge" She said with a frown "The details of their Charter are currently private, and given the potential outcome of a violation of said Charter, I think it is best for all concerned if they stay private"

"As you wish" Marchbanks stood up and left the room without a backwards glance. Amelia watched her go, then turned back to Tonks "Take these four down to the cells. We'll continue the investigation after the conference" She paused "And put someone you trust on duty - I don't want them escaping, or dying, before their day in court"

"Yes boss"

xoxox

An hour later, Andy and Prue were stood in The Ministry Atrium, both under glamours, watching Madam Marchbanks explain how she always supported The Western Sky, and that the recent crimes were acting out of a misplaced belief that the country would return to the dark ages of blood wars and attempted supremacy.

"Just how much anti-veritaserum did she have to take?" Prue whispered. Andy gave a quiet laugh, then looked up as Marchbanks finished speaking, and Amelia gestured him to the podium.

"Thank you, Minister Bones" He nodded politely "I don't have a lot to say, other than we are glad The Ministry has proved our innocence, and that we are happy we can resume our duties as representatives of The International Confederation of Wizards" He paused "And Witches, even if they aren't mentioned"

"It's a historical thing" Amelia said.

"That explains it" He shrugged "Anyway - as a result of the recent captures made by Harry Potter and his associates, The Ministry has asked us to work in conjunction with them to identify and locate the rest of this group - a task we are happy to do, and will approach with all due professionalism and ability" He glanced at his wife "That is all I have to say, and just to make it clear, neither I, nor my partner, nor any other member of my team will be available to answer questions" There was a ripple of moans through the assembled reporters, and he gave them a slight smile as he turned and walked back next to Prue.

They watched the end of the press conference, then - as the reporters departed - Amelia and Tonks walked over to them.

"In the spirit of our new co-operation, would you like to sit in on the interviews?" Tonks asked.

"Do you mean us specifically, or us as a member of The Western Sky?" Prue took Andy's hand "Because given the nature of the crimes and the people committing them, I would suggest Gilbert and Anne - maybe Abby"

"Because they understand more of the world we live in?" Tonks nodded in understanding "We're going to start at four o'clock, if you'd like to ask them"

xoxox

Harry and Sally sat at the back of the room, while Tonks grilled Elana.

"Are you four the only members of your group?"

"No"

"Can you give me the names of the others?"

"Yes"

"Were you responsible for the attempted murder of Minister Bones?"

"Yes"

"The murder of Alison Tyler"

"The kidnapping of Sirius and Susan Potter?"

"Yes"

"The breakout at Azkaban?"

"No"

"Really?"

"We had nothing to do with that"

"The founding of The Drawn Wands?"

"No"

"Ginny Weasley's murder of twelve children?"

"No"

"The infiri attack against Hogwarts?"

"No" Tonks leaned back, then turned to Harry and Sally.

"Do you have any questions?"

"Why did you kidnap Sirius and Susan Potter?"

"Our leader wanted to punish Harry Potter and Sally-Anne Perks for their actions during the war" Harry and Sally exchanged glanced, then Sally leaned forward.

"Are you telling me that your leader - the person in charge of your group, is Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes" Sally sat back in her seat, but Harry suddenly sat up straight.

"Do you know where he is?"

"No"

"Do you know what his plans are?"

"Yes"

"What?"

xoxox

Half an hour later, Harry stood in front of the entire Order of V and The Western Sky.

"We know what Draco's plan is" He said seriously "And if we don't stop him, it will make the last blood war look like a spat between the twins"

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _(end of act 3)_


	13. Children Of The War

**_DRACO MALFOY RETURNS_ **

Special Report by "The Standard" reporter Jathso Rafeson.

 _This reporter has gained exclusive news that Draco Malfoy, last scion of the prominent pure-blood house, has returned to our shores._

 _The exact purpose to his return is not certain, however we here at The Standard can only hope that he has come to reclaim his house, and his position in The Wizengamot, so that he can restore the status of those of us who follow wizarding traditions to where they should be._

xoxox

 **_DEATH EATER RETURNS TO LEAD CAMPAIGN OF TERROR_ **

Report by "The Quibbler" reporter Luna Lovegood.

 _Following investigations by The DMLE, it has been established that Draco Malfoy, wanted murderer, kidnapper and Death Eater, has taken control of a group that is responsible for several acts of terror in the past year._

 _The group, a number of whom are now facing life sentences in Azkaban for their crimes, has said that it's goal is to cleanse the wizarding world of "the mudblood filth that has infected it", and if they have the power of The House of Malfoy behind them, we at The Quibbler believe The DMLE should mobilize every means at their disposal to prevent such an outcome._

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Potter, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 13 : Children Of The War_

 _Guest Staring : Percy Weasley, Griselda Marchbanks, Paul Robertson, Poppy Pomfrey, Pomona Sprout, Emmaline Vector, Alison Weall, Hallie Potter, Catherine Welton, Ronald Weasley, Arthur Weasley,Molly Weasley, Filius Flitwick and Ragnarok The Goblin_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

"Minister Bones, Director Tonks is here. She says she has a draft report of the interrogations" Percy stood at the door to Amelia's office "Are you free?"

"For Dora? Always" Amelia grinned "Show her in" She paused "And could stay, and takes notes?"

"Of course" He stood aside to let Tonks in, then sat down in the corner of the office.

"Minister - I still have a few more questions to ask, but after hearing what I heard today, I thought you should know at once, as it might require immediate action" Tonks looked down at the parchment in her hands "I've questioned all four prisoners separately, and they all tell the same story, both of their own free will and under veritaserum"

"And I take it I'm not going to like this story?"

"Probably not" Tonks shook her head "First - they deny any involvement with the infiri attack on Hogwarts, and with Dumbledore's death"

"Really?" Amelia raised her eyebrows "I mean - I get the infiri attack - about a third of the population of Hogwarts are pure-blood children, and I doubt they would put them at risk just to kill muggle-born kids"

"But Dumbledore's death, and Marchbanks' plan to install a pure-blood sympathiser would be right up their alley" Tonks nodded "I thought so too, but there's no doubt they were not responsible for it"

"I have to say - part of me is relieved" Amelia admitted "Whoever did it overrode the Hogwarts' wards, and the idea of this group doing that is pretty scary"

"Then I suspect you're not going to like the rest" Tonks glanced down at her parchment again "The Western Sky raids were just the beginning of their campaign. Over the next three weeks, they were going to launch attacks on every business in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade that has muggle influences. They plan to burn them down and put them out of business"

"Good god"

"Oh trust me - god has nothing to do with this" Tonks continued "Because their other target is Gringotts bank - they will hit it in three days time"

"Bloody hell" Percy exclaimed from the corner. Both women turned to stare at him "Sorry, Minister, Director - it's just... they're going to invade the goblin nation?"

"Apparently so, and don't worry, Mr Weasley - that was my reaction as well" Tonks turned back to Amelia "Six of their members are going to storm the bank, kill anyone who they find, including the goblins"

"They are aware what that will lead to?" Amelia asked "I mean - this isn't just a case of them being woefully undereducated in politics?"

"No - they know what they're doing" Tonks shook her head in disbelief "According to Miss Foxton, they are planning for one of two outcomes"

"Peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind?" Amelia asked hopefully.

"Surprisingly, no" Tonks shook her head "The first is that The Ministry will be forced to cave in to any demands the goblins make just to stave off a rebellion" She smiled at Amelia "Which includes both you and me being fired and replaced my more pliable people"

"Swell" Amelia rolled her eyes "What's the other one?"

"All out war, and they use the chaos to carry on with their attacks" Tonks shrugged "Either way, I don't see it ending well for anyone" Amelia put her head in her hands for a few minutes, then looked up.

"Here's what we do. You go back and question them until you find out the details of the Gringotts raid" She held her hand up to forestall Tonks' questions "I know the others are important, but in the long run, a few shops burning down is nothing compared to a Goblin Rebellion" She glanced at Percy "That was off the record, Mr Weasley"

"I gathered" He smiled.

"Then - and I can't believe I am saying this - we talk to Ragnarok, and ask him to let us station a dozen Aurors in the bank" She took a deep breath "You have two hours until I am going to talk to him, Dora - make me proud"

"Yes, boss"

xoxox

"Madam Marchbanks - Minister Bones needs to see you"

"Show her in" Amelia walked in and sat down, then started speaking.

"Madam Marchbanks - I need to know that, if we capture Draco Malfoy, you will try him as a Death Eater, and not give him some kind of pass because he is The Head of one of The Seven Houses, or because he happens to be a prominent pure-blood"

"I thought the standing order on the remaining Death Eaters was dead or alive?" Marchbanks responded.

"It is, but that is not an answer"

"I promise he will be treated as the suspected Death Eater he is" Marchbanks said simply "Just like every other criminal brought in"

"And his status as Head of House Malfoy...."

"Is not relevant - it is not the position of The Wizengamot to interfere with the succession of The Seven Houses" Marchbanks looked up in surprise as Amelia snorted in surprise "Amelia?"

"For the past year you have been trying to strip Professor Krum of her position, and now it's not your position?" She shook her head in amusement "Never mind - all I wanted to know is if you will try Draco, and you have answered that question" She turned to go, but stopped at the door when Marchbanks called out her name. She turned round.

"Do you really think he will let himself be taken alive?"

"Honestly?" Amelia shrugged "I couldn't care less"

xoxox

"Thank you for coming" Hermione looked around the staff room "I wanted to address the recent reports in the press about the return of one of Hogwarts' former students to these blessed shores"

"You mean Draco Malfoy" Paul said, and Hermione nodded.

"I know a number of you taught him, but just to make sure we are all singing from the same hymn book, I wanted to tell you what I know" She looked around again, and saw a number of the teachers nodding "His father was one of Voldemort's inner circle. During my third year, Lucius infiltrated the school disguised as Sirius, in order to kidnap Peter Pettigrew. When he was caught, Professor Dumbledore fed him to the dementors to stop him talking to Minister Fudge, and to Harry, Sally and me"

"Dumbledore...." Pomfrey started, but Sirius interrupted.

"Professor Dumbledore was attempting to prevent the prophecy from becoming public knowledge, because he wanted to retain control over my nephew's life" He said in a serious tone "But we are digressing - Min?"

"Thank you, Uncle Mike" She grinned at him, then her face became serious again "Draco left school at the end of that year, and supposedly went in to hiding. In reality, we believe he took his father's place at Voldemort's side" She paused, and closed her eyes for a moment "At the end of The Tri-Wizard Tournament, he murdered Cedric Diggory and tortured Harry, using his blood to bring Voldemort back"

"How can you be sure?" Paul asked "I mean - you only have Harry's word....."

"I was there" Hermione said in a dark voice "And it has haunted my nightmares ever since" She stared at him until he dropped his gaze "Annoyingly, Draco escaped our purge during the last year of the blood war, and has been on the run ever since" She paused "Until now. He is back in the country, and is running a pure-blood group intent on starting a civil war"

"Bloody hell" Sprout said, causing a few other teachers to laugh.

"To say the least" Hermione grinned "Which brings me to my main point. Draco was a student here for three years, and his father, mother and most of the other Death Eaters went here for seven years. And while I can't say I think much of their beliefs, a number of them were pretty damn smart"

"You think he would come here?" Vector sat up straight.

"I don't know" Hermione admitted "He is on a campaign to destroy all muggle and muggle-born influence, and I am pretty much one of the biggest influences in town. So what I want to do is strengthen all the wards, and add a few new spells he won't be expecting if he, or his army of doom, does come" She looked around "I am partitioning the school, and I want each of you to take a part of it, so the wards will be different in each part"

"Sounds like a plan" Sirius said "Will we get any help from The Ministry?"

"They have their own worries at the moment" Hermione replied "So until further notice, we're on our own"

xoxox

Andy, Harry and Sally walked through The Ministry, and in to The DMLE Offices.

"We're here to see Director Tonks" Andy said with a smile as the receptionist stared up at them with a look of awe in her eyes.

"Yes, Mr Trudeau" She nodded, casting covert glances at Harry and Sally. Andy caught the looks, and stifled a laugh.

"Hon - you know how we discussed permanent glamours when we were younger?" Harry looked imploringly at his wife, but she shook her head.

"No dice love" She grinned "Just think how much it would confuse the kids"

"It's true" Andy said "Prue's sisters tried it, and it confused the crap out of Wyatt"

"Bugger" Harry moped until Tonks walked up to them.

"Why the long face?" She asked.

"Fan girls" Sally smirked, causing Tonks to laugh.

"On behalf of The DMLE, I apologise" She grinned "Come on in" She gestured them in to her office, and they sat down.

"So - what's up, Director?" Andy asked.

"One moment" She held up her hand as there was a knock at the door "Come in" The door opened to reveal Hermione "Professor Krum - thank you for coming"

"My pleasure, Director" Hermione smiled, then sat down "Have you told them yet?"

"I was just getting to it" Tonks leaned back in her chair, took a deep breath, then leaded forward again "As you know, we've been interrogating the four members of Draco's group you arrested in Hogsmeade, and we have learned a number of disturbing things"

"The fact Draco wants a war" Harry said.

"Amongst other things" Tonks continued "However, over the past three days, we have got enough information to be confident we can stop their planned attacks, and raid most of their bases to bring the rest of the group in"

"Wow" Sally exclaimed "That's impressive"

"We do our best" Tonks smiled in acknowledgement "We are going to strike in two days time, just after the planned attack on Gringotts. Amelia has got permission to station a squad of Aurors there, and the goblins have already made it clear they know this is not an attempt by wizard kind to enslave the goblin nation"

"So no rebellion?"

"No rebellion" Tonks couldn't help grinning again.

"Can I ask a question?" Sally asked "Well - another one"

"Feel free"

"Why are you telling us this?" Sally glanced at her friends "Are we going to be in on the raids?"

"No" Tonks shook her head "But a number of the bases we have to raid are rebuilt manor houses from the war. It seems that Draco has gone back to his roots, so to speak"

"And since we raided them during our Order days, you'd like to know what we can remember" Harry nodded in understanding.

"Anything you can tell me will be helpful" Tonks turned to Andy "I realise you weren't involved in The Order, but I just wanted to brief you about what was going on, and tell you why two of your team are going to be busy over the next day or so"

"I appreciate the gesture" Andy smiled.

"And to let you know that Draco REALLY doesn't like Harry or Sally, and that if he gets even a hint of where they might be, there is a good chance he will come for them" She paused "So if you were considering upgrading the wards on The Compound, this might be the time to do it" She stared at them seriously "I know you are all powerful, including you, Minnie, but do not underestimate the depth of his hatred"

"Believe me, Dora - we won't"

xoxox

The next night, Harry and Sally were finishing their reports when there was a knock at the front door.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Sally asked, standing up.

"Someone who can break the two fidelius charms and just walk up to our door?" Harry smirked "I hope not" Sally returned his grin, then walked out in to the hall, and - after drawing her wand - opened the door.

"Who is it honey?" Harry called out from the lounge.

"See for yourself" She called back, then Harry looked up, and his mouth fell open in surprise.

"Hello brother"

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

"Aunt Hallie?" Sirius Potter looked up from his breakfast as Hallie walked in to the kitchen the next morning.

"Hey nephew of mine" She grinned as he jumped out of his seat and bounded over to her for a hug "I've missed you"

"How long are you staying?" He asked, pulling her back to the table.

"A few weeks at least" She pulled the cereal box over and poured herself a bowl, then looked up as Harry and Sally came in "If that's okay, of course"

"We've renamed the room you slept in as 'Hallie's Room', if that helps" Sally grinned "You can stay as long as you wish"

"Excellent" Hallie grinned, then turned back to Sirius "So - how would you and your sisters like to take me to lunch today?"

"Really?" Sirius looked hopefully at his parents, who - after exchanging glances, turned to Hallie.

"How are your defensive skills?" Sally asked, no trace of a smile on her face.

"Better than average" Hallie replied carefully "The Academy believes that a well rounded education included being able to look after oneself" She paused "You're not asking for the sake of it, are you?"

"No" Harry shook his head, then, with a glance at his son, turned back to Hallie "There's a chance that someone might attack Hogsmeade today, along with a few other places. But The DMLE are already taking steps to stop it, so we're happy to let you four go to lunch, under one condition"

"Before you go, we'll give you each emergency portkeys that will bring you back here" Sally continued "I know it seems like slight paranoia, but..."

"Say no more" Hallie held up her hand, then turned to Sirius "Why don't you go find your sisters, and tell them the good news?" Sirius grinned, then scampered out of the kitchen. Hallie watched him fondly, then turned back to her brother "Is this about Draco?" She smirked as their mouths fell open in unison.

"You know about that?"

"Since I found you, I've been cultivating some contacts in Australia, and the news that Mr Malfoy is back has is pretty big" She paused "If you really don't want me to take them...."

"Honestly - we think it's unlikely anything will happen" Harry replied sincerely "In fact, if Dora's prediction was right, then they should be dealing with it right about now"

xoxox

The doors to Gringotts bank crashed open, and ten black robed figures burst through them.

"AVADA KE..."

"STUPEFY!" Twenty four voices shouted in unison, and a moment later, all ten collapsed on the floor. For a few seconds, there was absolute silence in the bank, then Tonks came out of the alcove she had been sheltering in.

"Sorry for the disturbance, folks, but you can carry on with your business" She turned back to the rest of her Aurors "Guys - search them for portkeys and so on, then transport them to the cells"

"Yes, boss" The senior Auror nodded, and the rest of her team flew in to action. She smiled, then turned back as the bank manager walked over to her.

"Director Tonks - that was very impressive" Ragnarok looked impressed.

"Thank you" She nodded politely "And, once again, thank you for letting us carry out this operation on Goblin soil"

"It was my pleasure" Ragnarok smiled a toothy grin "I know we might seem like we loath wizards, Director, but there are very few of us who welcome the idea of a full scale war with your people" He paused "After all - if we slaughter all the wizards and witches, who would we do business with?" Tonks stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing, and he joined in a moment later.

When she had calmed down, she glanced at her watch, then looked back at him.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, Ragnarok, but I am afraid I have other duties to attend to today"

"I understand, Nympha..." He started, then bit his lip "I understand, Tonks" He said, causing her to laugh again "May all your endeavours today be as successful as this one"

"And may gold flow to your door" She bowed, then turned and marched out of the bank. Ragnarok watched her go, then turned back and walked in to his office, smiling as he went.

xoxox

"Minister - Phase One of Operation Skyfall was a success" Tonks announced as she met Amelia in the atrium "With your permission, I will start Phase Two"

"Go ahead" Amelia nodded "But I will expect a slightly fuller report when you're done"

xoxox

"Aunt Hallie - can we stop at the ice-cream shop on the way back?" Ella asked in her most wheedling voice. Hallie glanced around, then nodded.

"I don't see why not" She smiled at the expressions of delight on the children's faces "But remember what your parents told you"

"Yes, Aunt Ella" The three children chorused in unison, causing her to laugh.

"Then come on - time for ice-cream"

xoxox

"Team 1, what's your status?"

"We're in position"

"Then go on my mark" The team leader counted down "Three. Two. One. MARK!"

In a well practised move, the twenty Aurors surrounded the building, and began to throw every spell they had at the wards. Less than five minutes later, the air was filled with the sound of shattering glass as the wards collapsed.

"Go. Go. Go!"

The Aurors swept through the building, stunning everyone they found, whether they were wearing dark robes or not. The Director had made it clear everyone was to be brought in, and their innocence or guilt would be determined from inside a DMLE cell.

"I don't want you missing one person, only to have them curse you in the back" She had pointed out.

Ten minutes after the wards had been brought down, thirteen unconscious bodies were brought out, and a minute after that, the bodies, and the Aurors, had returned to The DMLE.

xoxox

"We've finished the upgrades to the wards" Andrew sat opposite Andy in his study.

"What else have you added?" Andy asked.

"Well - Pansy refuse to let me have a line of death keyed to The Dark Mark, so I went for a stasis curse instead" Andrew sighed theatrically "Anyone carrying The Dark Mark will be stunned, then placed in temporal stasis until one of us releases them"

"Stasis?"

"It means on the off chance they can resist or recover from the stunning charm, they can't move, speak or do anything else other than breath" Andrew explained "But, as I mentioned, it will only stop those who are marked"

"What about the others? Malfoy's army of doom?"

"We just strengthened the rest of the wards, and - with Luna and Tara's assistance, we created a number of tiny ward-stones that are scattered liberally around the garden, and bound all of the wards - even the four Fidelius Charms - to them" He realised Andy was looking confused "Imagine you have a generator for a force-field" He said, and Andy nodded "The best place to keep it is behind the force-field, so that anyone who wants to bring it down has to work on the force-field, rather than blowing up the generator"

"So the ward-stones will ensure that anyone who wants to crash the wards will have a lot harder time?"

"I don't want to say it's impossible - that way lies madness - but it would take someone pretty powerful" He paused "My guess is Draco could probably do it, but since the stasis line lies outside the rest...." He trailed off, letting the grin on his face speak for itself.

"Well done, Andrew - seriously - I am impressed" Andy leaned back in his chair "I have a... favour to ask of you, but it's a little delicate"

"Go on"

"We know that when she was originally banished, the Weasley girl moved to Australia. And that after the fiasco over Sirius, she left the country again and returned down-under" He paused "And Hallie lives in Australia - she's made no attempt to hide that fact. Plus she came in to our lives the week before Weasley did, then vanished when Weasley re-appeared"

"Miss Potter passed the veritaserum interview with flying colours" Andrew said without a hint of accusation.

"As did our group when we were asked about the siege at Hogwarts" Andy countered, and Andrew nodded.

"You want me to do a little... investigating?"

"Only if you want" Andy leaned forward intently "I'd rather Harry didn't find out about this, but I don't want you to have to lie to him"

"I'll see what I can find out from some of my friends - maybe ask Mr Giles about it" Andrew nodded "For what it's worth, Pansy and Luna trust her, and they are usually good judges of character"

"I know - I trust her too" Andy said with a slight smile "But with Draco's war taking off, I...." He paused, then shrugged "I just want to be sure"

"I understand. I'll see what I can find out"

xoxox

"Minister - almost every raid is complete - I am just waiting to hear back from two groups" Tonks handed Amelia a parchment "Every raid was successful, bringing back on average around ten prisoners" She paused "We lost two Aurors on the raid against Malfoy Manor, and another at the Rookwood place, but those have been our only fatalities"

"Will you inform the families?"

"When the other two raids are complete, yes" Tonks nodded "I don't want to let out any names until I have a full list - this isn't something that should be done bit by bit"

"Of course" Amelia paused "Since you haven't mentioned it, I take it we didn't find Mr Malfoy?"

"Sorry, Amelia" Tonks shook her head "I don't think he will be captured - not today anyway"

"Drat" Amelia sighed "Keep me informed, and let me know when it's complete"

"Yes, boss"

xoxox

"Kids - I want you to activate your portkeys, right now" The three children turned to follow her gaze and saw six figures in dark robes coming down the street.

"Yes, Aunt Hallie" They all nodded, and vanished a moment later.

"One. Two. Three. Four..." Hallie started counting, but stopped when Harry, Sally, Luna and Tara - all in their Western Sky persona - appeared in the ice-cream shop "Six people, all dark robed"

"Want to help?" Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Well - they interrupted my day out with the kids. I think they should pay for that" She smiled "What do we do?"

"Wait till they pass, hit them from behind, and take them back to The Compound" Sally said, going down on one knee and raising her wand. Harry waved his wand over Hallie, disguising her, while she glanced at Sally.

"Not The Ministry?"

"Not just yet" Sally shook her head "I want to see if they know anything about Malfoy before we turn them over" She paused "On three"

xoxox

"For glory" The leader said, then all six raised their wands.

"STUPEFY!" Five bolts of red light flew down the street, striking the men in their backs. A second later, the leader was taken down by another stunning spell. As the residents of Hogsmeade stared in surprise, five people emerged from the ice-cream shop, ran over to the six figures, and a moment later, all eleven vanished.

xoxox

"Lets see who we've got" Sally said, then started pulling the hoods down. As she reached the sixth, she let out an exclamation of surprise. Harry turned, and his mouth fell open.

Sat on the sofa, in the robes of Draco Malfoy's group, was Ronald Weasley.

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

"Arthur - Director Tonks would like to see you in her office"

"Now?" Arthur frowned, wondering what Tonks wanted with him this time.

"She did say it was urgent" Perkins shrugged. Arthur sighed, and stood up.

xoxox

"Director - how may I help you today?" Arthur stared at Tonks after she had bidden him to sit down.

"You are aware of The DMLE raids carried out today? Against Malfoy's little play group?"

"I've heard about them yes" He furrowed his brow "Though I'm not sure why they would involve me"

"Well - around half an hour ago, six members of the play group were seen walking through Hogsmeade. It seems they were on their way to trash Zonko's joke shop, because - in their words - it was too influenced by muggle jokes to be considered a real wizarding shop"

"Good lord"

"Quite" Tonks paused "However, they were stopped by four members of The Western Sky" She held up her hand before he could protest "They were not part of the raiding parties, but were alerted to this group, and intercepted them before they could carry out their plan" Arthur nodded carefully "I know - they are not DMLE forces, but they did us a good turn, as it is likely this group would have torched the place before we could get there"

"Okay" He paused "Are you telling me this because of my position? You want support in The Wizengamot?"

"No, Arthur" She replied slightly reluctantly "I'm telling you because one of those arrested was your youngest son, Ronald"

"What?" Arthur assumed he'd misheard her.

"One of the six people detained was Ronald Bilious Weasley" Tonks repeated "He has already been questioned, and admitted to being a part of the group"

"He was part of Malfoy's terror squad?"

"Not exactly" Tonks shook her head "He willingly took veritaserum to confirm his testimony, so as far as I know what I am about to tell you is the truth" She paused as Arthur nodded "He joined this group because he thought the wizarding world was getting too.... diluted. He doesn't think that pure-blood should rule, but on the other hand, he objects to a lot of recent Ministry policies, including appointing Professor Krum, of Harry's marriage to Sally, of the arrest of so many students by a rogue group and so on. But he swears he did not know that Draco was in charge, and that he didn't know what the ultimate goal was"

"And you believe him?"

"I believe that he didn't know about Draco, and that he did not know about the group's endgame" Tonks paused "But he has confessed to conspiracy to destroy property and commit acts of terror. Both of which are imprisonable crimes" Arthur flopped back in his seat.

"May I see him?"

"You can visit him, but I can't release him" She paused "At least not yet. He is scheduled for another interview this afternoon - now that the raids are finished, we have more questions for all of the people we arrested - and after that I will see about releasing him in to your custody" She leaned forward, looking intent "I want to make something very clear, Mr Weasley - you are not to help him leave the country, go in to hiding or take any action which will prevent him from returning for his trial"

"You think I would...."

"No" She shook her head "You are a good man, Arthur, I have never doubted that. I just wanted to impress upon you the seriousness of his crimes, and that I will not hesitate to arrest you, or anyone else, who helps him evade responsibility"

"I understand Director" Arthur said "Now - if I may see my son?"

xoxox

"Guys - are you free this afternoon?" Andy found Harry and Sally playing catch with Hallie and their children.

"I suppose" Harry shrugged "Why?"

"Tonks is going to start the second round of interviews, and since you two have a pretty good understanding of the politics, she'd like you to sit in on them"

"As us?" Sally raised her eyebrows.

"As you" Andy nodded "Despite your heroics in detaining the last of the army of doom, she wants The Western Sky kept out of this as much as possible" Sally turned to Harry, who shrugged, then nodded.

"Okay - tell her we'll be there"

xoxox

"Father" Ron nodded as Arthur sat down opposite him in one of the interview rooms.

"Ronald" Arthur looked him up and down "Are you being treated well?"

"As well as can be expected" Ron shrugged "They are feeding me, and I have a bed"

"Good" Arthur paused "I'm afraid I'm not here to take you home - at least not yet. Director Tonks wants to interview you again later, and has said she will release you in to my custody after that"

"Okay" Ron nodded again "Aren't you going to ask me?"

"No" Arthur shook his head, a look of anger crossing his face.

"Dad..."

"I said no, Ronald" Arthur glared at him "After all we taught you, you get involved with these.... these Death Eaters?" Ron opened his mouth to respond, but Arthur continued "I know - they are not marked, but honestly, can you tell me there is a difference between what they were advocating and what Lucius and his ilk were spewing ten years ago?" When Ron didn't respond, Arthur shook his head "Where did we go wrong, Ron? Ginny murders twelve children, you join up with the Malfoy boy...." He sighed "You will always be welcome in my home, son, but right now... right now, I can't even stand to look at you" He stood up, and without another word, turned and walked out of the room, leaving Ron staring after him.

xoxox

Instead of returning to his office, Arthur flooed straight home. He knew he would have to tell Molly about the latest family crisis, and he really wasn't looking forward to the conversation.

His wife, while being a wonderful and loving woman, had a severe blind spot that covered every one of their children. In her eyes, they could do no wrong, and if ever they were found out in some wrong-doing, it was always the fault of someone else.

He didn't know exactly when it had started, but he could remember as far back as Ginny's first year at Hogwarts Molly seemed determined to blame Sally-Anne Perks and Hermione Granger for the fact Harry didn't look twice at their daughter. She considered it destiny that Ginny and Harry would wed, and live happily ever after, and seemed unable to accept that that might not be the case.

He supposed that, if he had put his foot down back then, then maybe the problem would not be as big as it was now, but hindsight was always 20-20, and there was nothing he could do now.

"Arthur?" Molly looked up in surprise as he appeared in the kitchen of The Burrow "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, my love" He sat down at the kitchen table "I'm afraid there is"

xoxox

"What are they doing here?" Ron snapped as he was escorted in to the interview room, and caught sight of Harry and Sally.

"I asked them to sit in on the interviews, as they have some fair experience in groups such as yours" Tonks replied "Now sit down" Ron stared at them for a moment, then sat down. Tonks sat down opposite him.

"Ronald Bilious Weasley, you understand why you are here today?"

"Yes, Director"

"The room has a recording charm on, and while I will not be administering veritaserum, there is a low-level truth spell on your chair that will ensure you do not lie" She paused as he nodded again "Very well - firstly, can you tell us the names of the rest of your group?"

"Not all of them" Ron paused "I can give you the names of the ones I went to Hogsmeade with, and a few others. But I didn't know the rest"

"I will get the list at the end" Tonks continued "Why Zonkos? Why not any of the other stores?"

"My brothers are starting to set up a joke shop, and I thought that if we could put their main competitors out of business, it would help" He paused at the three looks of surprise "They knew nothing about this - they are not involved at all"

"You understand that I will have to check that?" Tonks asked, and Ron nodded reluctantly "Very well"

"May I ask a question?" Ron said quietly.

"By all means"

"Is it true what you said earlier? That Malfoy was using us to start a war?"

"Yes, Ron" Harry nodded "From all the available information, Malfoy was trying to start a war with the Goblin Nation, and - if that failed - to start another blood war" He paused "To continue Voldemort's work"

"Oh god" Ron slumped down in the chair, then, with a look of determination on his face, he sat up "I swear I knew nothing of that. If Malfoy has been using me, I want to get him. I will co-operate in any way I can"

"That's quite a change of attitude, Mr Weasley" Tonks remarked "May I ask what brought it about?"

"My father came to see me earlier" Ron said in a quiet voice "He said he was utterly disgusted with me, and wanted nothing more to do with me" He let out a long breath "I thought this would be a bit of an adventure - bringing back the good old days" He paused "I've been a fool"

"That you have" Tonks nodded, then glanced at Harry and Sally "Any questions?" They both shook their heads "Very well" She turned back to Ron "You'll be returned to your cell, then, if he wants, your father can take you home" She paused "You haven't actually committed any serious crimes. Conspiracy aside, you haven't maimed, killed, tortured or burned. And if you keep your promise - if you help us bring down the rest of the group to the best of your ability, I will see what I can do about ensuring you are treated fairly" Ron looked up hopefully "I can't make any promises, Mr Weasley, but I will see what I can do"

"Thanks" He paused, then turned to Harry and Sally "There's something else you should know"

"Yes?"

"During The Tri-Wizard Tournament, I helped Ginny procure a second wand, then I helped her dispose of it on the last day of term" They stared at him for a second, then Harry jumped to his feet.

"Don't" Sally said, pulling his arm. He span round to face her.

"You know what he is saying?"

"I am well aware of what he just confessed to, heart of my heart, but it was over ten years ago, and punishing him now will not change what happened then" Harry stared down at her for a moment, then nodded, and retook his seat. Sally kept hold of his arm, then turned back to Ron.

"Why?"

"Why did I do it?"

"Why did you tell us?" She stared in to his eyes, and was slightly impressed he did not look away.

"Because after my father left, I took a long look at what I had become, and I realised I don't actually like myself all that much" He paused "I loved my sister, and would have done anything to make her happy. I realise that is a crappy excuse, but I was a child, and I thought it was for the best" Sally continued to stare at him, then she stood up and walked over to him.

"I can't forgive you, Ronald - to do that would imply I thought your actions were okay. You helped strip me of my magic, and nearly handed the world to Voldemort - that's something you'll have to live with. You also set your sister on a path that lead to the death of twelve innocent kids, and you'll have to live with it as well" She paused "Whatever I do to you won't be as bad what you'll do to yourself, so I'm not going to punish you"

"Thank you" He didn't look up as she left the room. Harry stared at him for a moment, then walked over to him.

"If you ever come near me, my wife, my children or my friends, then understand this - while your remains might be found, they will never be identified" He turned and followed his wife out of the room, leaving Ron staring at the floor.

xoxox

"Was that really necessary?" Sally asked as she and Harry walked through The Ministry.

"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" He replied.

xoxox

"Father" Ron looked up as Arthur walked in to his cell.

"Director Tonks has informed me that she has finished with your for the moment. You can either stay here, or return to The Burrow"

"I will come with you, if that is okay" Ron replied, not looking up. Arthur wondered at his tone for a moment, then shrugged.

"Very well - come along"

xoxox

"We're done for the day" Harry said, flopping down in to Andy's sofa "Tonks has asked us to go back tomorrow morning - they are interviewing a woman they think is the most senior member of the group they've found"

"Okay" Andy nodded "What about Ron?"

"I think he's truly sorry he got mixed up in this" Sally replied, sitting down next to her husband "He seemed not to have any idea about the Goblin war, or the civil war" She paused "He also confessed to helping that witch-bitch curse me at school" Andy looked over at Harry.

"And he's still alive?" He asked, causing both Harry and Sally to burst in to laughter.

"Yes - he is still alive" Sally said after a moment "Though my darling husband did make it clear what would happen if Ron came near me again" Andy looked over at Harry, who blushed.

"This I can't wait to hear" He smirked.

xoxox

"Ron!" Molly enfolded her son in her arms, then lead him to the living room "Are you all right? Did Nymphadora treat you okay?"

"I'm fine, mum" Ron replied "I'm just glad to be home"

"I should think so" Molly shook her head "Imagine thinking you'd be a part of this group! The very thought of it is laughable"

"Mother..." Ron started, then glanced at his father "Mum, Dad..." He trailed off.

"What is it, son?" Arthur asked.

"We need to talk"

xoxox

"Good morning Headmistress" Flitwick smiled as Hermione walked in to The Great Hall the next day "From your beaming smile, I take it the warding is complete?"

"Paul finished the dungeons late last night" Hermione nodded "So I would say we are now pretty protected against rampaging Death Eaters" She looked around "Which is nice"

"To say the least" Filius grinned "So - will you be able to help me with the seventh year class today?"

"Assuming nothing else comes...." Hermione started, then trailed off.

"Min?" Flitwick looked at her curiously as she slid her hand in to her robes. A moment later she pulled out a small crystal. When she set it on the table, and tapped it twice, a giant, red V appeared above it. She looked up at Flitwick, eyes wide with shock "Is that what I think it is?"

"Harry is calling a meeting of The Order" She paused "Sorry to do this again..."

"Go" He grinned. A moment later, she disapparated.

xoxox

She reappeared in Harry's lounge, and looked around. Every member of The Order had gathered, including Sirius and her parents.

"Mum? What's..."

"Harry summoned us about five minutes ago" Claire said with a shrug "I've got no idea why"

"We know where Draco Malfoy is" Harry said from the door. The entire room fell silent as he and Sally walked in.

"Where?"

"For the past two years, he has been living under an assumed identity" Sally paused, then turned to Hermione "That of Hogwarts' potions professor, Paul Robertson"

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _(end of act 3)_


	14. These Endless Days

_"We know where Draco Malfoy is" Harry said from the door. The entire room fell silent as he and Sally walked in._

 _"Where?"_

 _"For the past two years, he has been living under an assumed identity" Sally paused, then turned to Hermione "That of Hogwarts' potions professor, Paul Robertson"_

xoxox

 **_flashback - two hours earlier_ **

"Miss Marsden - you are to be questioned under veritaserum. Do you understand?" Tonks looked down at her prisoner, and Maggie Marsden nodded "Good" She administered the potion, then turned to Harry and Sally "As usual, I'd rather you didn't ask any questions until I'm done"

"No worries" Harry smiled. Tonks grinned, then turned back to her prisoner, who had the vacant look of one under the truth potion "Miss Marsden - you confess to casting two killing curses, a cruciatus curse and to torching The Daily Prophet?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"Because I am under veritaserum and can't lie" Tonks rolled her eyes. The little known, and - if she was honest - little publicised flaw - in using veritaserum was that, if the person was smart enough, they could answer questions without giving anything away.

"Why did you do it?"

"My lord commanded me"

"This was a direct order from Draco Malfoy?" Tonks leaned forward.

"Yes"

"You have been in contact with him?"

"Yes"

"Recently?"

"Yes"

"Can you tell me where he is?"

"He is at Hogwarts" Harry and Sally both let out gasps of surprise.

"How can he be at Hogwarts?" Tonks asked intently.

"He has been living under another identity"

"Who?"

"Paul Robertson"

"LEGILIMENS!" Harry had walked up to the table, and was now staring in to Maggie's eyes. After a moment, he took a step back, then raised his wand "STUPEFY!"

"Mister Potter..." Tonks started, but he held up his hand.

"She's telling the truth" He told Sally "Paul Robertson is Draco Malfoy" He turned back to Tonks "Don't let anyone else talk to her - keep her unconscious if you can, and if not, make sure only you and Amelia know what we know" Tonks stared at him.

"You just assaulted and mind-raped a prisoner under my protection, Mister Potter. Give me one good reason I shouldn't arrest you?"

"How many people do you trust in this building, Dora?" Sally walked up next to her husband "There are a number of witches and wizards who think Draco is the second coming, and if even a hint gets out, he will learn, and he will flee" She took Harry's hand "We'll take care of him, but no one else can know. Not your Aurors, not The Wizengamot - no one" Tonks stared at her for a moment, then turned back to Harry.

"For the crime of assault, I'm fining you two hundred galleons, and for the use of legilimency, another three hundred. This will be given to the Auror benevolent fun, used to support the families of those injured or killed in the line of duty. Because I have levied these fines, you can't be punished again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Director" He nodded.

"During the interrogation, it turns out Miss Marsden has a very infectious disease, and must be kept in solitary, with no one other than a healer to see her" She paused "I trust our department healer - she has been my friend since I was little" Harry nodded "Okay. You are excused from further interviews. You should probably go home"

 **_end flashback_ **

xoxox

"Anyone who objects, speak now" Harry said, looking around.

"Objects to what?"

"To us going to Hogwarts, and killing him dead"

xoxox

 __

The Western Sky

 _Staring_

 _Harry Potter, Sally-Ann Potter, Luna Lovegood and Tara Maclay.  
Prue Trudeau, Andy Trudeau, Andrew Wells and Pansy Wells._

 _with_

 _Hermione Krum-Potter, Viktor Krum,  
Amelia Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black_

 _and_

 _Pandora Trudeau, LJ Lovegood,  
Robert Krum, Elwyn Moran,  
Sirius Potter, Susan Potter and Ella Potter_

 _Episode 14 : These Endless Days_

xoxox

 _(act 1)_

Sally couldn't help smirking at the silence that greeted Harry's announcement. With the sole exception of Hermione, everyone was staring at him as if he was crazy.

After a few minutes, Andy apparently bucked up the courage to speak.

"Harry - couldn't.... couldn't we do it?" He asked, and Sally realised he was actually nervous at contradicting her husband.

"It's not your job" Harry said simply, then gestured to Hermione and Sally "It's ours. Has been for over ten years"

"The Order was never dissolved, and Malfoy is the last of the inner circle who is still free" Sally added.

"But that was when you didn't have a choice" Susan turned to her daughter "You have allies now - powerful allies...."

"And that's the problem" Hermione said, glancing at her two friends "I know that Harry and Sally are doing this because they feel it is their duty..."

"And because we really loath Draco" Harry added.

"....but there is something the rest of you should know" Hermione continued "When I learned Draco was back, I had the wards at the school strengthened - to ensure he couldn't get by" She paused "And I assigned the task to the rest of the staff"

"Oh dear" Sally sighed.

"So Draco has been a part of making the wards stronger" Hermione nodded "I haven't had a chance to examine what he did, and for all I know he has added detection wards, or worse" She turned to face Andy "If eight super-powered wizards appear in the school, it might set off all sorts of alarms, and send him running"

"Okay" Andy nodded, but Hermione wasn't finished.

"There's something else I haven't told you - any of you" She glanced apologetically at her friends "I meant to, but with one thing and another...."

"We understand" Harry held his hand up "What is it?"

"Remember Katie McNeil?" She asked, and everyone nodded "The thing that triggered her.... explosion, for want of a better phrase, was recalling that she had been interviewed by Professor Robertson. The moment she mentioned it, she fainted, and less than five minutes later, entire world shook at her coming"

"So you think Draco tried to...."

"Yes, but that's not the worst part" She paused, taking a breath "Before we came out of the infirmary, she told me she had a very clear memory of a man with silver hair and a haughty sneer standing over Professor Dumbledore, and casting a light-green spell at him" The entire room fell silent.

"Tonks told us that whoever murdered Dumbledore made himself invisible to the wards" Prue said after a moment.

"And now you see why I don't want this to get out of hand" Hermione said, turning to her parents and Susan "I know that we acted as The Silent Trio out of necessity ten years ago, but this time I think it can work to our advantage"

"Draco knows that we are friends with Minnie, and so if we appear on the radar, he might not think anything of it" Sally continued Hermione's train of thought "And if the three of us can take him by surprise....." She shrugged "Maybe we can take him down without endangering anyone else"

"You are going there to kill him?" Andrew asked curiously "Isn't that.... well isn't that illegal?"

"Pretty much" Harry admitted "And if anyone asks, we will say we went to bring him in, and he refused" He shrugged "Quite honestly, I don't care. He is the last of the Death Eaters who were there the night Voldemort returned, he murdered Cedric, tortured me...." He trailed off "He signed his own death warrant a long time ago" Both Sally and Hermione nodded in agreement. The room stayed silent for a moment, then Susan nodded reluctantly.

"Okay. But if you're going to do this, we're going to get you ready" She glanced at Remus "Can we get our hands on battle-armour quickly?"

"Shouldn't be a problem" He grinned back "When do you want to do this?"

"Two hours" Sally said, and both Harry and Hermione grinned at the tone in her voice - she was slipping back in to her leadership of The Order.

"I'll see what I can do" Remus nodded, then stood up and vanished in to the floo.

"What about the kids?" Sirius looked at his niece and nephew "What are you going to tell them?" Harry and Sally exchanged glances.

"The truth" Harry admitted "That we are going to find a bad man, and make sure he can't ever hurt anyone again"

"And when they ask when you'll come back?"

xoxox

"Minister, I have a transfer order for your signature" Tonks handed Amelia a parchment "This is a request to transfer all of the prisoners we have in the cells to Azkaban. The only exception is Miss Marsden, who is still being kept in quarantine due to her infectious status"

"Infectious status?" Amelia looked up in surprise "What's wrong with her?"

"Scurvy" Tonks replied with a straight face "A rare muggle disease that is very infectious - we can't risk her being put in to the prison population until it is cured"

"And when will that be?" Amelia watched in surprise as Tonks let a stream of silencing, privacy and secrecy charms out of her wand "My office is secure, Director"

"I am aware of that, Minister" Tonks finished her spell-work, then turned back to her "Draco Malfoy is living under the alias Paul Robertson" Amelia's mouth fell open and she rocked back in her chair.

"Tell me that's not the same Paul Robertson who is currently teaching potions to the children of the wizarding world"

"I wish I could" Tonks replied, then laughed as a stream of curses came out of Amelia's mouth "Our source was Miss Marsden, and it was requested that no one be allowed to speak to her until Draco is.... dealt with"

"Requested by whom?"

"Sally-Anne Potter" Tonks sighed "She was sitting in on the interview when it came out, and she made it very clear that The Order would deal with this"

"The Order?" Amelia shook her head "They are a vigilante group - they can't conduct official law enforcement business"

"They are aware of that" Tonks replied.

"Let me guess - they don't care?"

"No - they do care, but they're not going to let that stop them" She leaned forward "The Order of V was founded to destroy Voldemort's inner circle, then kill him. Draco is the last member of that inner circle, and they consider it their duty to deal with him"

"And the fact they have an entire Ministry to help them?"

"They don't trust The Ministry to do it" Tonks held up at her and Amelia's sputtered objections "They trust me, and they trust you. And I think they trust Arthur, despite Ron and Ginny's actions. But they pointed out that if we assign Aurors to capture him, how do we know those Aurors won't tip him off? And if we make this a DMLE operation, The Wizengamot will learn of it, and you know how many of them consider Malfoy their potential saviour...."

"Okay, okay" Amelia held up her hands "I get the idea" She paused "What about The Western Sky?"

"It's not their job" Tonks said simply.

"So they'll be going as Harry, Sally and Hermione, not Anne and Gilbert?"

"Pretty much"

"Then I need to talk to them before they go" Amelia looked at her "I need to impress upon them that they are citizens of this country"

"For what it's worth, I think they know, but I will ask them to come in" She stood up "Is that all?"

"One more thing" Amelia glanced down at the file on her desk "I have a record of Mr Potter paying 500 galleons in fines earlier today, but the exact charges are not specified"

"He used legilimency on Miss Marsden, then stunned her, all while she was in DMLE custody" Tonks smiled "I thought that dealing with it on the spot was better than a full criminal trial" She turned to the door "I will be in touch"

xoxox

"Kids - we have something to tell you" Harry and Sally sat their children down on the sofa "Something serious"

"You're getting divorced?" Ella looked between them, a worried expression on her face.

"No" Harry let out a soft laugh, then his face turned serious "Do you remember the stories we told you about the last war?" All three children nodded "Well - we've found out that one of the bad men from the war is near by, and doing bad things again"

"So we are going to stop him" Sally continued, then, after a deep breath, added "It's going to be dangerous"

"You could...." Ella started, then screwed up her face.

"Aunt Minnie is going with us, and we hope to catch him by surprise" Harry said "But yes - we might be hurt, or killed" All three children bit their lips in unison, making Sally smile.

"Do you have to go?" Susan asked softly.

"Yes" Harry nodded "This man - this man hurt a lot of people, and if we don't stop him, he will hurt a lot more"

"Aunt Clare and Uncle Arnold are going to come and look after you while we're gone - but be nice to them, they'll be worried about Aunt Minnie"

"Yes mum" Ella replied, and the twins nodded.

"Now - come and give us our lucky hugs before we go" Harry grinned as the three kids launched themselves off the sofa in to their arms.

xoxox

Ron came down to breakfast to find Molly and Arthur waiting for him.

"Good morning" He said warily, pulling a plate of eggs towards him.

"We've been discussing your... situation" Molly said brightly "And we think that, if we approach Minister Bones in the right way, we should be able to get these silly charges dismissed" Ron stared at her for a moment, then turned to Arthur.

"Dad?"

"Director Tonks did say that the only thing she could reasonably charge you with is conspiracy, and given that you didn't know what the group was doing, there is the chance that it might not be worth her time"

"Oh" Ron paused "She isn't the only one who knows about it - Harry Potter and Sally-Anne Perks were present"

"What?" Molly asked "Why?"

"They were there as advisers" Ron replied, shrugging "Apparently a number of the manors they destroyed during the war were being used by the group as bases of operation. I guess Tonks wanted to make sure they didn't miss anything"

"And she had those two.... people?" Molly sneered "She couldn't find anyone less reputable?"

"Mum - that's enough" Ron snapped, causing both his parents to jump "They are not criminals - they killed You-Know-Who and ended the last war, remember?"

"So they say" Molly started, but Ron held up his hand.

"I know you think they treated Ginny badly, but I think it's about time you learned the truth" He leaned back "Ginny is a seriously disturbed girl, mother. Her childhood dreams of Harry became an obsession, one that twisted her up inside. She thought that her dreams were real, and that anyone who stopped her was evil"

"But..."

"But nothing" He shook his head "I'm ashamed to say I didn't see it until recently" He looked up "You might not want to hear it, but she cursed Sally, and - to my great regret - I helped her"

"Ron?" Arthur stared at him in surprise.

"I got her the spare wand, and got rid of it. I knew what she was going to do, and I thought it would turn out for the best" He sighed "I regret it now, and I will for the rest of my life. Maybe if I'd realised... if I'd talked some sense in to her back then, she wouldn't have murdered those twelve kids, and we would have our sister back, where she belongs, instead of living halfway round the world" He looked up at his mother "I'm never going to be able to forgive myself for my part in what she did - even if Sally doesn't blame me any more" His parents stared at him in silence for a moment, then Arthur frowned.

"What do you mean 'Even if Sally doesn't blame you any more'?"

xoxox

"Minister - Harry and Sally-Anne Potter and Hermione Krum-Potter are here to see you" Percy stood aside as the three of them filed in to Amelia's office.

"Thank you Percy" Amelia nodded, then she pulled out her wand and silenced the room "Thank you for coming"

"Dora said it was urgent" Sally replied.

"She told me what you are going to do" Amelia said "And there are two things I wanted to make sure you understood"

"That we should leave this sort of thing to the professionals?" Harry asked.

"That there is an entire department that is capable of hunting down Death Eaters?" Hermione added.

"That once a king, always a king, but once a knight's enough?" Sally finished, causing the other two to turn and stare at her "Sorry - I thought the tension needed breaking"

"And that's what you came up with?" Hermione laughed, then all three turned back as Amelia started tapping her fingers on the desk "Sorry, Minister - you were saying?"

"That I'm kind of glad you didn't join up with them, Professor Krum - I'm not sure the world could take it if you three were together all the time" She said with a straight face, causing all three to burst out laughing.

"You should see us at Christmas" Harry smirked.

"Well - that aside, there's two things I wanted to make sure you were clear on, but they both stem from the same thing. If you are not going to do this under the purview of The Western Sky charter, then you have to do this as British Citizens"

"Which means...."

"No unforgivable curses" She said seriously "Death Eaters are still people, and I don't want to send you to Azkaban for the rest of your natural lives"

"Which we take as a kindness" Sally smiled.

"And you can't simply murder him" She paused "I know that's how you worked ten years ago, and while the majority of the public were quite happy to let it go, you know some of them weren't"

"*cough*Umbridge*cough" Hermione said, and Amelia nodded.

"The thing is, in the present political climate, I can't guarantee that you'll get the same reception if you murder him in cold blood" She continued "I am pretty sure Griselda Marchbanks would take great delight in put you three on trial, and even if you weren't convicted, it would destroy your lives"

"Not to mention screwing up our day jobs" Harry nodded "Okay - we promise we will give him a chance to surrender, and that we will use only those curses that are forgiveable" He shook his head "Quite how breaking every bone in his chest and letting him suffocate is worse than a killing curse is beyond me, but hey - I don't make the rules"

"Quite" Amelia paused "When are you going?"

"As soon as we are done here" Sally said "The Compound wards have been strengthened, and as we speak Tara and Luna are preparing portkeys to our former home in the States, just in case they have to flee"

"Then, as much as it goes against my professional beliefs, I wish you luck"

"Thanks" They all stood up, then Harry turned to face her "Minister.... Amelia - I said we would give him a chance to surrender, but tell me honestly - do you see any set of circumstances under which he would accept?"

xoxox

The Order and The Western Sky gathered on the front lawn of The Compound, and Sally, Harry and Hermione stood in front of them.

"We'll be back when we're done" Sally said "I've set up a single alarm ward, that all three of us are keyed in to" She paused "If all three of us die, it will go off. If that happens, then get out at once. Don't wait to find out what happened - just go" Sirius and Remus nodded, while Susan refused to look up. Sally glanced at her friends, then, by mutual consent, they split in to three groups.

"Mum - I'll be back. But you always taught me to prepare for the worst"

"I know" Susan looked up, tears in her eyes "I just thought we were done with this"

"And by tonight, we will be"

xoxox

"I know you don't want to hear it, but thank you" Hermione told her parents "For everything"

"Take care, love" Arnold leaned down and kissed her on her forehead, a move mirrored by Claire a moment later.

xoxox

"I realise I haven't been here for a while, Harry, but I never stopped caring" Sirius smiled down at his godson.

"I wouldn't have thought otherwise" He paused "Promise me you'll look after the kids if..."

"I will care for them as if they're my own" Sirius nodded "Which, I guess, they will be"

"Hey - don't get too carried away yet" Harry replied "We'll be back, and you can go back to being the cool Uncle Paddy"

"Excellent" Sirius pulled him to a hug "Take care, son"

"I will, Dad"

"Harry" They both turned as Sally and Hermione walked back to the path "It's time"

"I guess that's my signal" He kissed Sirius' cheek, then turned and walked over to his friends.

"I'll keep a candle in the window" Luna said with a fond smile, and the three of them laughed softly, then turned and walked down the path, out of The Compound.

"Normally I'd say either we all come back, or none of us do, but somehow I don't think you'd accept it" Sally said conversationally.

"So what is our battle-cry going to be this time?" Harry glanced at Hermione "Any ideas?" Hermione tilted her head to one side, then smiled.

"For love"

"For friendship"

"For what is right" They all faced each other, then nodded.

"Lets go"

 _(end of act 1)_

xoxox

 _(act 2)_

"I've keyed you in to the wards" Hermione said as they strode along the path to Hogwarts "You can both manipulate them as required, and it means you will be cloaked from detection spells"

"Okay" Sally nodded "What's your plan to deal with the kids?"

"You two make yourself invisible - not disillusion - he might pick that up - and follow me in to the hall. Stand in the two corners on the back wall. I'm going to tell the students and teachers that we fear an attack, and that they should go to their common rooms. Then I'll lock the school down, and give him a chance to surrender peacefully"

"And when he doesn't?"

"You two reveal yourself, and we attack" She glanced at each of them "I am not giving him more than one chance - either he takes it, or we fight to the death"

"Agreed" Sally nodded "And speaking of which, we fight as one, not as three"

"Of course" Harry smiled, then looked up as they reached the castle gates "Game time"

xoxox

"You confessed this in front of The DDMLE?" Arthur asked seriously.

"Yes" Ron nodded "I am just sick and tired of keeping secrets"

"You informed the most senior law enforcement agent that your sister definitely cast this curse, and that you aided and abetted her, and that you have kept it secret for ten years?" Molly yelled "What were you thinking?"

"That I am sick and tired of keeping secrets, mother" Ron snapped.

"So what can we do?" Molly turned to Arthur "To keep Nymphadora from doing anything?"

"Right now, nothing" Arthur shook his head "If I know Tonks, she is not going to be swayed by either of us, Molly. She made it clear that if we try to help Ron escape before his trial for conspiracy, that we would be brought up on charges as well"

"That uppity little bitch!" Molly snapped "I always thought she was promoted too fast"

"Molly - it's not her fault" Arthur glanced at his son "This group has caused quite a stir, and Tonks can't be seen to be favouring any single member simply because of who their family are" He paused "Especially in our case - if it got out she let the son of a pure-blood family - the child of one of The Seven Houses no less - there would be chaos"

"So she's picking on Ron because he is our child?" Molly asked, and Arthur sighed.

"No, dearest - she is treating everyone equally and fairly, so that there can be no hint of bias. In short - she is doing her job"

"So if we can't talk to Nymphadora, who can we talk to?" Molly insisted "I am not letting my two youngest children go to jail for something they did as kids"

"Our best hope would be Madam Marchbanks" Arthur replied "She has always been supportive of us, and - despite my recent actions over the Black and Potter Houses, I believe she will be willing to listen to my case"

"Good" Molly sniffed "At least there is someone with some sense in the government"

xoxox

"If I could have your attention please?" Hermione called out as she walked in to The Great Hall during lunch "I have just returned from a meeting at The Ministry, and I have an announcement" She walked up to the staff table, then turned to face them "As many of you will know, a number of raids were carried out against a group suspected of committing various acts of terror over the past eighteen months. The majority of this group has been arrested, but under questioning it has become apparent that a number of the members escaped, and - if Director Tonks' information is correct - they are going to launch an attack against Hogwarts to kill a number of the staff, including me" There was a ripple of gasps through the hall, and Paul, she noted, looked surprised.

"Obviously, I am not just going sit back and let myself die, so as of now I am suspending all classes until further notice. You will all be confined to your common rooms, and the staff will be split up amongst them" She saw Flitwick frown "Don't worry - I will be going to my office. I am hoping that if they turn up, and find the school empty, they will all piss off again" This time a ripple of laughter went round the room.

"So - prefects, I want you to lead all your students back to your common rooms. The staff will be along in a moment" She watched for a few minutes as the students filed out of the hall, then turned to the staff table.

"I know this is not the usual way we do things, but I ask you to trust me" She pulled a parchment out of her robes "This is the schedule I've set out"

xoxox

"Arthur, Molly" Madam Marchbanks smiled as the elder Weasleys came in to her office "I understand you want to talk to me about your youngest son?"

"Yes, Madam Marchbanks" Arthur replied, sitting down "As you might be aware, he was detained during the recent raids"

"I had heard he had been arrested" Marchbanks nodded.

"The DDMLE has kindly released him to my custody, but I am a little concerned about his future" Arthur continued "Aside from the fact he was arrested by The Western Sky, and not by The DMLE, he has also been lulled in to confessing a crime he committed ten years ago - one that could have a serious impact on our world"

"Really?" Marchbanks leaned forward "Please carry on"

xoxox

"Headmistress?" Paul raised his hand "I notice I am not on the list of teachers in the Slytherin common room"

"Yes" Hermione nodded "I need your assistance in my office" She glanced at the rest of the staff "From what I've heard, this group is more about using their wands than other types of magic" She glanced back at Paul "I was hoping you could help me whip up some power-sapping potions, stunning potions and so on"

"Because they are less likely to be prepared for them, and won't necessarily be guarding against them" Paul nodded understandingly "That makes sense"

"Why thank you" Hermione smiled and pretended to doff her cap "So - if the rest of you could go, I will lock down the four common rooms when you are all secure"

"How long will this be for?" Flitwick asked.

"I'm hoping that we'll know one way or the other by tea time, but if not I'm going to talk to Minister Bones about alternate housing in Diagon Alley - although that will give away what we're doing" She shrugged "I promise I won't detain you any longer than necessary"

xoxox

Marchbanks leaned back in her chair, and gazed at Molly and Arthur.

"Let me see if I've got this straight" She folded her hands together "Your son has confessed to aiding and abetting your daughter in casting an unforgivable curse on a girl ten years ago"

"It wasn't unforgivable" Molly clarified.

"Not then, but it has since been declared as such by The Minister, and The DMLE" Marchbanks continued "And he not only confessed this to the head of The DMLE, but to the girl he cast it on, and her husband" She leaned forward "Am I correct so far?"

"Yes, Madam Marchbanks" Arthur nodded.

"In addition, he is facing charges of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to kill and torture, again using unforgivable curses"

"Ron would never...."

"If The DMLE can prove anyone in the group he was with was going to use those curses, and that he knew and did nothing to prevent it, he will be charged and convicted" Marchbanks said simply "And, from what I've been lead to believe, there is a good chance that is what will happen" Arthur nodded reluctantly.

"Director Tonks says that, since he didn't commit any actual crimes, the conspiracy charges might not require jail" He added.

"That's true, but we return to the matter of the curse" Marchbanks leaned back again "You realise his confession can also be used to convict your daughter"

"I thought that, with the recent hearing about Sirius Black, that had all been taken care of" Molly frowned.

"She was tried at the time, and acquitted due to lack of provable evidence" Marchbanks retorted "However in cases involving serious dark curses, there is nothing to stop a person being retried if new evidence comes to light. The recent hearing is classified, and - because of Mrs Potter-Black's actions - we didn't formally grant your daughter immunity"

"So you are saying...." Molly's eyes went wide "You wouldn't!"

"The Houses of Potter and Black are powerful" Marchbanks smiled "And with The House of Bones, and possibly even Dumbledore and Longbottom, I might not have a choice" She paused "And Director Tonks is not known to be sympathetic to either of your children"

"Tell us what you want" Arthur stared at her "This is obviously leading to a point where you offer to help us in return for something"

"Very well" Marchbanks leaned forward with a predatory look in her eye "This is what I was thinking"

xoxox

After the last teacher had left The Great Hall, Hermione turned back to face Paul. He stared at her for a moment, then smiled.

"You know" He stared at her. He waved his hand, and his glamour faded, revealing the sneering face of Draco Malfoy.

"One of your followers was most helpful during her questioning"

"Well - I'll know better for next time" He paused "Should I expect the cavalry to burst in at any moment?"

"No" Hermione shook her head "Not unless you called them?"

"So you came here to capture me alone? I guess I was wrong, Granger - you've got more balls than I gave you credit for"

"I'd take that as a compliment, but you have to consider the source" She smiled, then raised her wand "If you give yourself up, I promise you will be treated fairly. Director Tonks has assured me you will be given a fair and equitable trial...."

"A fair and equitable trial ends with me being sent to Azakban for the rest of my life" Draco replied "That's not much of an incentive" He paused "But if you let me go, I will willingly swear on my magic that I will leave you alone" He smiled "I'll even throw in Perks, Potter and their brats" Hermione tilted her head to one side, looking thoughtful.

"You did get rid of Dumbledore for us" She said with a slight smile, then laughed as Draco's eyes went wide "So it's true?" She shrugged "Anyway - even though you did us that tiny little favour, I'm afraid that I can't let you go. While knowing I, and my friends, are safe, that still leaves countless muggle-born witches and wizards, not to mention the millions of muggles you would no doubt want to murder" She gestured with her wand "Are you going to surrender?"

"If I don't, do you really think you're good enough to take me down alone?" Draco smirked.

"No" Hermione shook her head "But I'm not alone" She twisted her wand to the left, and Draco looked up in surprise as the clouds on the ceiling of The Great Hall drew together, then morphed in to a giant red V. At the same time, Harry and Sally faded in to view.

"The Order of V" Draco let a tone of mocking awe in to his voice "I'm honoured"

"Last chance, Malfoy" Sally and Harry walked forward, flanking Draco "Give up or die"

"You know how this ends, Perks" Draco raised his wand. For a moment, the four of them faced each other, wands drawn.

xoxox

The doors to The Great Hall blew open as Sally flew out of them backwards, and skidded across the Entrance Hall floor.

"Ok" She said, getting up "Now I'm mad"

 _(end of act 2)_

xoxox

 _(act 3)_

"Percy - I'm going out for a while. I'm afraid I won't be contactable, however if you do need to get in touch, Director Tonks should be able to find me" She walked past her assistant's desk, then stepped in to the floo.

xoxox

"Minister" Andy nodded as Amelia stepped out of the floo in to his front room "Somehow I thought we might be seeing you today"

"It occurred to me that after I had read the same line in a report five times that maybe my mind was somewhere else" She smiled as she sat down on the sofa "Director Tonks is over seeing the prisoner transfer, and until she's finished, I've got nothing much to do"

"Our tax dollars at work" Prue gave a laugh as she walked in "I'm guessing you don't have any news?"

"I got a two word message about twenty minutes ago" She sighed "No surrender"

"We got the same" Andy nodded "And, if you're curious, Luna, Tara and Pansy are entertaining the children, in an attempt to get their minds off the current situation"

"They know?" Amelia sat forward in shock.

"Harry and Sally aren't ones for lying to their children" Prue said "They know they might not come back, and they didn't want to leave the kids not knowing"

"I'm guessing Robbie was too young" Amelia leaned back "Small mercies I guess"

"Quite" Sirius walked in to the lounge "Good morning, Minister"

"Mr Black" She paused "Or is it Mr Black-Black, given your recent acquisition?"

"Oh god that would be horrible" Sirius shook his head "If only because Sally would have to be called Sally-Anne Perks-Potter-Black-Potter, and I think that might drive her insane" He paused "Well - more insane"

"I was going to say" Andy smiled as Amelia laughed.

"So - you got a lot of prisoners?" Sirius turned to Amelia, and she nodded, and launched in to a detailed explanation.

xoxox

"I need to speak to Minister Bones" Marchbanks stood over Percy's desk.

"I'm afraid she is unavailable, Madam Marchbanks" Percy replied "May I assist you?"

"No" She shook her head "Is Director Tonks in her office?"

"As far as I am aware, yes" He replied, then rolled his eyes as she turned and walked away without another word.

xoxox

"COMPRESSUS!" Harry bellowed, sending Draco flying out of The Great Hall. He crashed in to a suit of armour, sending it flying. Pulling himself up, he cast a shield over the doors to the hall, then turned and charged up the main stairway.

A minute later, the shield shattered and Harry, Sally and Hermione came running out of the hall.

"Vhelum" Harry waved his wand over Hermione's arm, healing the cut she had received.

"Thank you" She smiled, then closed her eyes "He's on the charms corridor"

"Then lets go"

xoxox

Kingsley Shacklebolt looked over the last group of prisoners, then turned to his partner.

"Ready Dave?"

"Yes, boss" The junior Auror nodded.

"Okay" Kingsley turned back to the prisoners "In thirty seconds, you will be transported to the docks at Azkaban. The manacles you are wearing will stun you if you try to move outside the range defined, and if you move more than five meters, they will kill you. Are you all clear on this?" They all nodded "Very well" He glanced at Dave, who nodded, then he triggered the group portkey.

xoxox

"Director - I understand you arrested Ronald Weasley?"

"Yes, Madam Marchbanks" Tonks nodded.

"Are you going to charge him?"

"We have a reasonably good case on the conspiracy, and I believe that we should also press for a trial in regard to his actions against Mrs Potter when she was at school"

"May I ask why?"

"Because it was a very dark curse, and he openly conspired to strip another mage of her magic" Tonks stared up at The Head of The Wizengamot "And if it becomes public knowledge that we let him off, it would be a disaster for both branches of the government" Marchbanks considered this, then nodded.

"Very well. Can you give me all the files that pertain to this?"

"Pardon me?" Tonks frowned "That's not procedure, Madam Marchbanks"

"This is a serious case, and concerns the child of one of The Seven Houses. Therefore I would like to review all the evidence before any further decisions are made" Tonks stared at her for a moment, then nodded.

"I will have them sent over in half an hour"

"Thank you, Director" Marchbanks turned and walked away.

xoxox

"REDUCTO!" Sally sent a blasting curse shooting down the charms corridor, blasting a hole in the wall as Draco ducked.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Purple light flew back, and they all jumped to the sides.

"INCENDIO!" A blast of fire missed Draco by an inch as he ran round the corner.

"We'll help you fix the school up when we're done" Harry grinned as they ran up to the corner, and peered round.

"That'll be a help" Hermione grinned, glancing round the corner "Where's he gone?"

"He's hiding in one of the classrooms" Sally replied "God - how do you cope? Being that in tune with the school would drive me insane"

"You mean more insane" Hermione grinned "But you only pick it up when you want it" She paused "What's he waiting for?"

"Ambush?" Sally suggested "We stick our heads round, and he blows them off?"

"Then lets give him something else to blow" Harry said, then - when the two women burst out laughing - he added "Oh shut up"

xoxox

As Amelia finished her list of the prisoners that had been arrested, Andy and Prue glanced at each other. Amelia caught the look.

"Am I to understand there's something you want to ask me, but don't know how?"

"You're good" Andy sighed "It's about something that happened last year - before Sirius returned to our happy little family - but at the moment, we don't want the information spread around"

"So you'd like me to keep it to myself?" Amelia asked.

"I'd like you to take an oath to do just that" Andy nodded, causing Amelia's eyes to widen.

"It's that secret?" She said, taking out her wand.

"It would not be overstating it to say that what I am going to tell you is worse than Draco's plan to plunge the country in to civil war" Prue said softly. Amelia and Sirius stared at them for a moment, then Amelia raised her wand.

"I swear on my magic I will not tell anyone what I am about to learn without the permission of Andy Trudeau or his nominated proxy" A glow surrounded her, and she lowered her wand.

"Do you want me to...." Sirius started, but both Andy and Prue shook their heads.

"As I said, you are already part of our little family" Andy grinned, then - taking a deep breath - he sat on the edge of the sofa, and leaned forward "How much do you know about time travel?"

xoxox

"The files you requested, Madam Marchbanks" Her assistant place four folders on her desk "Will there be anything else?"

"No - thank you" Marchbanks replied "You can finish for the day, if you want"

"Thank you, M'am!" Her assistant turned and bounded out of the office. Once she had gone, Marchbanks sealed the door and silenced the room, then, picking up the first file, began to read.

xoxox

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Draco screamed, sending a light-green curse through the door of the classroom. A second later, he swore as he saw a suit of armour explode in a ball of flame.

"REDUCTO!" Three blasting curses flew back at him, and he threw a shield up, sending the curses flying in all directions.

"Missed me, bitch!" He yelled, then he jumped backwards in to the fireplace, and vanished.

"There's a floo in here?" Harry turned to Hermione "A floo?"

"I renovated the classrooms when I took over" She said, slightly sheepishly "I wanted to make sure if there was an emergency, there'd be an escape route for the kids"

"So he's gone?"

"What?" Hermione stared at him in surprise "No - he's probably in another classroom, or even The Great Hall again" She realised he was staring at her "It's a closed system, Harry - the only floo connected to the outside world is mine, and he is not getting in to my office"

"Oh" Harry shrugged "Okay" He closed his eyes "Defence, fifth floor?"

"You're getting good at this" Sally grinned, then glanced at the fireplace "Should we?"

"So we can come out, one by one, and let him kill us at his leisure?" Hermione raised her eyebrows "Remind me why we put you in charge again? OW!" Sally grinned as she slapped her on the head.

"Don't back-talk your boss, woman!"

"Yes, boss" Hermione saluted.

"Erm - ladies? You remember the Death Eater we're chasing?" Harry grinned as they both turned and glared at him "Shall we?"

xoxox

"You realise what will happen if we are taken there?" Adam Jenkins glanced at his two fellow prisoners, then turned to face the large, imposing prison across the water.

"The dementors will probably kill us" Mark Brown replied.

"I'm not worried about those soulless creatures" Adam replied "If we let ourselves be taken, how do you think The Senior Partners will react?"

"How do you think they'll react when they learn Draco is going to be killed?" Derek Knoxan sneered "When they learn we've failed in our duty?"

"They'll kill us" Mark said simply, then he let out a low, mirthless laugh "Maybe we'll be safer in there" He gestured to the prison.

"You know what we have to do to be safe" Derek said quietly "We need protection against The Senior Partners, and you know where we can find it" He paused as the other two thought it over.

"Okay" Adam said after a minute, and Mark nodded.

"But we can't do it here" Mark added "We have to escape"

"You heard what that black guy said" Adam nodded towards Kingsley.

"Yeah - but these collars are designed for humans" Mark grinned "I'm willing to bet they won't work if we change - they might even break, freeing us completely" He looked back to see a large boat approaching "It's now or never"

xoxox

Marchbanks leaned back in her chair, and sighed. Tonks had been right. As had Arthur.

The case against the youngest Weasley male was almost ironclad - if it went to trial, he would be convicted.

And, she realised, it would be enough to ensure that the Weasley girl was extradited, tried and sent to Azkaban, if not kissed.

The scandal that would result would effectively destroy The House of Weasley, and - worse still - would reveal the machination and manipulations she herself had concocted during her abortive attempt to strip Professor Krum of one of The Seven Houses.

Staring down at the files, she realised she had no real choice in the matter.

xoxox

"CRUCIO!" Harry threw himself to the floor as the curse blew a gaping hole in the wall behind him.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Sally and Hermione launched the dark curses in to the room. They crashed against Draco's shield, and he flew back in to the wall. Harry watched him for a moment, but he didn't move. He glanced over his shoulder as Hermione and Sally came in to the classroom, then turned back in time to see a blue spell flying towards him.

xoxox

"Harry's eldest daughter came back from twenty five years in the future to tell you that, if three unknown wizards escaped, then they would start a war that would literally bring about the end of the world" Amelia stared at Andy with a look of bewilderment on her face "Can you tell me something?"

"Yes?"

"Are your lives always this complicated?" Andy and Prue both laughed.

"As a matter of fact, yes" Prue replied after a minute.

"Ella seriously came back from the future?"

"Yes"

"As an insanely powerful witch?"

"More powerful than anyone I've met - including my sisters-in-law, Dumbledore and The Order" Andy nodded, and Amelia digested this.

"Okay - if I may use the floo, I will ask Tonks to keep an eye out for these three animagus, and make sure they are kept in prison" She stood up and walked over to the floo, but stopped "That is, assuming I have your permission. After all, a Minister of Magic without magic..."

"By all means - but ensure she swears the same oath" Andy said, causing Amelia to turn and stare at him "We are dealing with cause and effect, and preventing genocide, Minister - forgive me for not wanting to take any chances"

xoxox

"INCENDIO!!"

xoxox

Harry opened his eyes to find Sally and Hermione staring down at him.

"What was that?"

"Draco played possum and hit you with a suffocation spell. While we were cancelling it, he escaped out of the room" Sally said, looking apologetic.

"Don't worry - he can't get out of the school, and at the moment he is, for reasons I can not fathom, heading towards The Astronomy Tower"

"Okay" Harry nodded, sat up, let out a curse and closed his eyes.

"You might be a bit dizzy" Sally said belatedly, and Harry laughed.

"Now you tell me" He shook his head, then stood up "Lets go"

"Are you okay?" Sally asked, steadying him "Do you want to stay here, while we...."

"Not a chance" He shook his head, then he smiled "Though it does give me an idea"

xoxox

"Warden - this is your last batch of the day" Kingsley smiled as the warden of Azkaban looked over the prisoners "I trust you will take care of them?"

"Of course" The warden glanced at the parchment, then looked up at the group "You're three short"

"What?" Kingsley turned, then his mouth fell open as he spotted something on the edge of the group.

xoxox

As the last of the parchments burnt itself out, Marchbanks smiled.

Without evidence, the entire case would rest on Harry, Sally and Tonks' statements.

Which would not be enough to take it to trial, let alone get a conviction.

"All in all - a good day" She said to herself.

xoxox

Draco hid at the bottom of The Astronomy Tower, waiting for his three pursuers to arrive.

He'd tried a number of times to apparate away, but apparently Granger's frequent reminders about 'Hogwarts: A History' were true - you couldn't apparate on school property.

He'd tried blasting the door to her office open, and the spells had merely reflected off, while the gargoyle above had mocked him mercilessly.

Finally he'd decided to make a run for the highest tower, then fly down from the top to try to escape the wards.

He had considered the chance that the grounds were sealed, which was why he was hiding - he wasn't certain whether killing the three of them would collapse the wards, but he figured it was worth a try.

He looked up as he heard footsteps thundering towards him.

"Show time"

xoxox

"Director!" Kingsley's head appeared in the floo in Tonks' office.

"Auror Shacklebolt" She smiled "I take it you've finished the last transfer?"

"That's why I'm calling" She realised he was looking incredibly agitated "There was an escape" She went pale, her hear turning white as she stared at him.

"Who?"

"Three prisoners" He continued "Adam Jenkins, Mark Brown and Derek Knoxan"

"How?"

xoxox

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Draco stared in elated surprise as Sally fell to the ground, dead.

"DIE!" Harry threw both his hands forward, sending a bolt of lightening at him. Draco jumped to his right, then sent another killing curse.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed as her best friend fell dead at her feet.

"Looks like it's just you and me, you mudblood bitch!" Draco grinned "Catch me, if you dare!" He turned and fled up the tower. Hermione stared at the bodies of her friends for a moment, then, with a determined look, ran up the stairs after him.

xoxox

"Minister" Tonks burst out of the fire place in Andy's lounge, causing everyone to jump.

"Dora?" Amelia stared at her in surprise.

"Kingsley just reported in" She said staring around the room "There's a problem"

xoxox

Hermione burst out of the stairs at the top of the tower, to find Draco staring at her.

"I'm impressed - I'd figure you'd bottle it" Draco grinned.

"You killed my friends - you think I'm gonna let you walk you bastard?" She yelled.

"I think you're gonna die" He whipped his wand up "AVADA KED..."

"REDUCTO!!" Three voices screamed in unison as Harry and Sally faded in to view. Draco stared in disbelief as the curses hit his chest, sending him flying backwards off the tower.

xoxox

Harry, Sally and Hermione walked over to the edge, and stared as Draco smashed in to the ground. Then, in perfect unison, they projected themselves down to the ground, and walked over to his body.

"You think he's dead?" Hermione asked. Harry and Sally looked at each other, then both raised their wands.

"REDUCTO!" Draco's head exploded in a fountain of blood.

"Yeah" Sally nodded "We're pretty sure" She turned to Harry "Good plan, love of my heart"

"I guess we owe Uncle Mike a present" He said "Speaking of which, Min, you should probably let your kids out - they're going to be wondering what the hell is going on" He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips "Thank you, friend of friends"

"My pleasure" She turned on the spot, and vanished. Harry and Sally looked down at the body again.

"We should probably dispose of that" He said "It could give the kids nightmares" Sally held out her hand, and a rock flew in to it.

"Portus" She said, then dropped it on the body "Tonks will find it in one of her cells - I thought it was the best place" She closed her eyes and let out a long breath "Shall we go tell them the good news?" Harry held out his hand, and together, then vanished.

xoxox

They re-appeared on The Compound lawn. Harry closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

"Andy's place"

xoxox

"DING! DONG! THE WITCH IS DEAD"

"WHICH OLD WITCH?"

"THE MALFOY WITCH!" Harry and Sally skipped in to the lounge, hand in hand, then came to a stop as they found Andy, Prue, Sirius, Amelia and Tonks all staring at them, looking very agitated "Erm.... hi?"

"He's dead?" Sirius asked, his voice flat.

"Really most sincerely dead" Harry nodded, then looked around "And yet there does not appear to be a great rejoicing"

"During the last prisoner transfer to Akzaban, three prisoners escaped" Amelia said, her voice as flat as Sirius'.

"And that's bad?" Sally frowned.

"Yes" Andy turned to face them "Because they did it by transforming in to animals" Harry and Sally stared at him in confusion, until they both realised what he was talking about.

"No..." Sally shook her head "Don't tell me...." But Andy nodded.

"They transformed in to a wolf, a ram and a hart"

 _(end of act 3)_


End file.
